LOS ANGELES (AP) — Justin Wrobleski pitched two-hit ball over a career-high eight innings, Andy Pages launched a three-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the punchless New York Mets 4-0 on Monday night in a matchup between two of baseball’s biggest spenders.
The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers (12-4) have won eight of 10 and lead the NL West.
New York (7-10) lost its sixth straight and was shut out for the fourth time this season.
The Mets reshaped their core during the offseason but it’s yet to produce results. They’ve scored more than two runs just once during a losing streak that’s left them last in the NL East.
New York was blanked for the second consecutive day — and the third time in four games for the first time in eight years. With the Mets have mustered only nine runs in the past six games and haven’t scored in 20 innings.
Wrobleski (2-0) followed up last week’s strong outing in Toronto with two strikeouts and no walks on 90 pitches, 64 strikes. The Mets didn’t have a baserunner until the fifth, when Jorge Polanco singled with one out. He was quickly erased when Francisco Alvarez grounded into a double play.
New York’s only other hit off Wrobleski was Alvarez’s single with two outs in the eighth. Tanner Scott gave up a leadoff single to Marcus Semien in the ninth before Francisco Lindor grounded into a game-ending double play.
Wrobleski and Scott combined to face just one batter more than the minimum. A 25-year-old left-hander, Wrobleski was the first Dodgers starter to get an out in the seventh inning this season.
Shohei Ohtani extended his career-high on-base streak to 47 games when he got hit on the upper right shoulder blade by a pitch from David Peterson (0-3) leading off the bottom of the first. Ohtani tied Ron Cey for the second-longest on-base streak in Dodgers history.
Ohtani let out a howl and grimaced before going to first base. He finished 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Peterson then walked Kyle Tucker and gave up an RBI single to Will Smith before escaping a bases-loaded jam. Pages homered for the fifth time this season in the third, and his 20 RBIs lead the majors.
Up next
Mets RHP Nolan McLean (1-1, 2.70 ERA) starts Tuesday against RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2-1, 2.50).
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