 that he is going to be my hitting coach now,'' Conforto said. ''I wasn't thinking about a slam but it feels good to do the job in that situation.'' Conforto struck out twice but his season-high five RBIs helped the Mets end a six-game road skid.The Dodgers' bullpen imploded in the seventh taking over from starter Rich Hill. Yimi Garcia (0-2) and Dylan Floro gave up back-to-back walks. Amed Rosario hit a sacrifice bunt to Floro, who committed an error that loaded the bases.Floro struck out J. D. Davis before giving way to Alexander, who served up Conforto's slam that put the Mets ahead 6-3.New York tied the game 2-all in the fourth on Todd Frazier's leadoff homer, giving the team a home run in nine straight games.Cody Bellinger gave the Dodgers their only lead in the third with his 20th homer, a two-run shot with two outs that made it 2-1. Their four-game winning streak ended.He joined Gil Hodges as the only Dodgers in franchise history to reach the 20-homer mark through the first 55 games. Hodges had 21 homers in 1951.''It's must-watch TV,'' Hill said of the attention paid when Bellinger comes to the plate. ''He's putting together a tremendous season both offensively and defensively.'' Conforto grounded into a fielder's choice to third that scored Mets starter Steven Matz (4-3) in the third for a 1-0 lead.Rosario added an RBI triple with two outs in the eighth.Mets rookie Pete Alonso went 1 for 4 and struck out three times.Matz gave up two runs and four hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked three in his third start since coming off the IL.''It was the best I've ever seen Matz pitch,'' Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. ''His breaking ball and change-up were working well and he got ahead of the hitters and did what he wanted to do. He's been really consistent and I think we turned the corner.'' Hill allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, struck out six and walked one.TRAINER'S ROOMMets: INF Cano (left quad strain) hit on the field, jogged and played catch. ... RHP Seth Lugo (right shoulder tendinitis) played catch. Next up are some bullpen sessions.Dodgers: C Austin Barnes (left groin strain) will take a couple days off while waiting to be cleared to resume baseball activities. ... LHP Tony Cingrani (left shoulder) is due to be re-evaluated after suffering a setback during his rehab assignment.BIG LEAGUE DEBUTC Will Smith made his major league debut for the Dodgers, starting behind the plate and getting two hits. In his first at-bat, he singled with two outs in the second off Matz and got to keep the ball. He doubled leading off the seventh. ''It was awesome,'' he said.Smith hit into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. He walked to the plate to the theme from ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,'' which starred actor Will Smith. The catcher from Louisville, Kentucky, was added to the roster a day earlier when Barnes went on the 10-day injured list. He worked with six pitchers in the game. ''It's good to be thrown right in the fire,'' he said.Roberts was impressed, saying, ''You would never have guessed seeing him it was his first major league game.'' UP NEXTMets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (3-4, 4.93 ERA) faces the Dodgers for the first time in three years. He's 1-0 in three career starts against them with a 1.65 ERA and 15 strikeouts.Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (5-1, 3.58) faces the Mets for the first time in his career. He's holding batters to a .228 average in 10 starts.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Dodgers' do-it-all Bellinger struts stuff vs. MetsFLMIn the battle of two of the top young hitters in baseball, the early advantage went to the player who is able to lean on a bit more experience.The Los Angeles Dodgers' Cody Bellinger crushed a home run Monday, while New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso showed his own savvy with an RBI single in his first career at-bat against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Alonso also tripled off Kenley Jansen.The duel will continue Tuesday when the teams meet in the second game of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium one night after the Dodgers took a 9-5 victory in the opener.Alonso's first-inning RBI, which gave the Mets an early 1-0 lead, was his team-leading 39th of the season. That RBI total also leads all major league rookies.Alonso hit three home runs last week to give him 17 this season, another total that leads all rookies. He nearly hit another late in Monday's game but his drive off Jansen hit off the top of the left field wall."We saw some of that in spring training. We saw it at the beginning of the year that (Alonso) knows how to hit," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said, according to the New York Post."He knows how to take the ball the other way. He understands what pitchers are trying to do to him. He's very prepared and I think that has suppressed (a slump), because pitchers have tried different things," Callaway said.Alonso is one of seven major league players with at least 17 home runs over his first 50 games. Another is Bellinger, who had 19 homers through his first 50 games in 2017.Alonso might want to take note of Bellinger's career arc. In 2017, Bellinger was the toast of Los Angeles, earning the NL Rookie of the Year award with 39 home runs and 97 RBIs. Last season, though, his numbers were down across the board.After hitting 14 fewer home runs in 2018 despite playing in 30 more games than the previous year, Bellinger is back to being a force. His home run Monday was his 19th, second in the majors to the 21 by Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers.Where last season his starts against left-handers were limited, Bellinger is expected to play Tuesday against Mets lefty Steven Matz (3-3, 3.63 ERA). Matz is 2-1 in four career starts against the Dodgers with a 3.86 ERA.Bellinger's six home runs against left-handers this season already match his total against lefties last season.Then there is his defense. Bellinger had two outfield assists Monday, including a throw to get Carlos Gomez at third base from deep right field and short-circuit a late Mets rally. Yet his offense is the real showstopper."It's sustainable as long as (Bellinger) just keeps taking good at-bats and is not thinking about numbers," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, according to Sports Illustrated. "It's sustainable as long as he keeps taking his walks. ... It's sustainable as long as he sticks with his approach, because right now he can cover anything." The Dodgers will have left-hander Rich Hill (1-1, 2.67) on the mound Tuesday. He is 2-2 in eight career appearances (six starts) against the Mets with a 7.45 ERA.The Dodgers are expected to give catcher Will Smith his first career start Tuesday. Smith was added to the roster Monday when Austin Barnes (groin) went on the 10-day injured list.--Field Level Media
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