NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso ended the longest home run drought of his career with a two-run shot and the New York Mets took advantage of some shoddy Los Angeles Dodgers defense in a 3-1 victory Sunday night.
Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff homer — hours after throwing 22 pitches of live batting practice in a significant rehab step — but that was all Los Angeles could muster against Kodai Senga (5-3) and three relievers.
A hustling Juan Soto contributed an RBI groundout and a difficult running catch in deep right field to help New York take two of three from the Dodgers after losing to them in six games in last year's National League Championship Series.
Los Angeles committed a season-high four errors, two of which led to all three Mets runs.
Alonso homered in the first off hard-luck loser Landon Knack (2-2), who permitted one earned run and four hits in six innings for the NL West leaders. He struck out five, walked none and set down 11 straight during one stretch.
The slugger connected on the next pitch after third baseman Max Muncy booted a two-out grounder by Soto, who beat a rushed throw to first.
It was the 236th career homer and 10th this season for Alonso, who had gone 16 games and 65 at-bats without a longball — both career worsts.
Senga struck out five and walked four in 5 1/3 innings of five-hit ball. He retired cleanup batter Will Smith on a bases-loaded grounder to end the fifth.
Ryne Stanek induced an inning-ending double play in the sixth, Max Kranick pitched two perfect innings and Reed Garrett worked a one-hit ninth for his fifth major league save and first this season.
Key moment
Center fielder Tyrone Taylor made a terrific defensive play to stop the Dodgers' early momentum in the first. Already leading 1-0, they had runners at second and third with nobody out when Smith sent a flyball to shallow right-center. Taylor sprinted in and to his left to make the catch, then threw out Mookie Betts at the plate for a double play. Betts was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned following a replay challenge.
Key stats
Senga went 202 batters and a career-best eight games without allowing a home run until Ohtani connected. ... New York improved to 19-6 at home, the top mark in the majors. ... Soto got his seventh stolen base, matching his total last year with the Yankees.
Up next
Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (5-3, 1.86 ERA) pitches Monday night in Cleveland against RHP Gavin Williams (4-2, 3.94).
New York RHP Clay Holmes (5-3, 3.13 ERA) starts Monday at home in the opener of a three-game series against Chicago White Sox RHP Adrian Houser (1-0, 0.00), who pitched for the Mets last year before getting released on July 31.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Mike Fitzpatrick, The Associated Press
