LOS ANGELES — Francisco Lindor stepped up to bat in the seventh inning Friday and had all five of his 55 hits as a left-handed batter this season.
The Mets’ poor defense was a key factor, and they had already erased a four-point lead over the Dodgers, but they were in position to attack after Mookie Betts’ throw error.
Daniel Hudson threw a hanging slider to Lindor.
Lindor, his left-handed woes beyond his control, was crushed by the Hollywood night and made a celebratory run toward the first-base dugout.
Lindor’s leadoff two-run homer led the Mets to a 9-4 victory at Dodger Stadium.
The Mets extended their winning streak to five, winning 11 of 14 games despite losing the first five in a row.
However, there were casualties in this match. Francisco Alvarez tripped while running the bases and injured his left thumb, leaving the game midway through the second inning.
The Mets did not immediately release any updates regarding the catcher.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who rejected a $325 million offer from the Mets in the winter and received a contract for the same amount from the Dodgers, struggled in the early stages, but then bounced back and broke through to the sixth.
The right-hander gave up seven hits, four runs (three earned), one walk, and nine strikeouts.
After Lindor’s outburst, the Mets got another run in the eighth inning with a two-run single from Starling Marte.
In the 9th inning, DJ Stewart scored an RBI and hit a home run first.
Offensive heroes included Harrison Bader, who went 4-for-5 with one RBI.
Two errors by Joey Wendle in the 6th inning forced the Dodgers to tie it 4-4 against Reid Garrett.
The rally started with Will Smith’s ground ball to Wendle (Brett Batty is off at third base with a hamstring strain).
With one out, Wendle fielded Enrique Hernandez’s ground ball and sent it wildly to second base on a fielder’s choice attempt. After Garrett hit Andy Pages with a grand slam, Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer, making him 0-for-31.
Sean Manaea handled a dangerous lineup, holding the Dodgers to just two earned runs on four hits, three walks, and three strikeouts.
In the game against the Royals, the left-handed pitcher continued to be clumsy, allowing 6 earned runs in 3/3 innings.
In the second inning, Stewart pounced on Yamamoto’s first fastball and hit it over the right field fence for his third home run of the season.
But the Mets weren’t done with the inning.
Alvarez reached second base on a swinging bunt, but catcher Smith threw it out and scored on Bader’s RBI.
Pages mishandled a pickup on Bader’s single, negating any play he might have made at the plate.
However, Alvarez was removed from the game at the bottom of the inning due to an injury to his left thumb.
Alvarez tripped while rounding first base in his previous at-bat and his thumb stuck in the ground.
Alvarez injured his thumb behind the plate on Wednesday when the catcher was called for interference during a swing against the Pirates.
The Mets extended their lead to 4-0 against Yamamoto in the third inning.
Brandon Nimmo led off with a walk, and Marte hit a double that hit the left-field fence, giving the Mets runners on second and third base.
After Lindor retired, Pete Alonso hit an RBI hit and Stewart hit a long drive to center field for a sacrifice fly.
In the fourth inning, Manaea led off with a walk by Shohei Ohtani, and then allowed a run on Teoscar Hernandez’s RBI hit.
Manaea had two outs before Hernandez threw.
The Mets wasted a chance in the bottom of the inning, leaving Bader and Wendle at second and third base, and Yamamoto struck out Nimmo and Marte in succession to save the day.
Ohtani hit an RBI homer in the fifth inning, cutting the Mets’ lead to 4-2. Pages singled in the first inning and Taylor walked to start the rally.
