Shohei Ohtani shines as Dodgers lead the NL West, despite injuries. Former Mets exec says Padres and Giants have no shot.

When the Dodgers entered the 2025 season, they weren’t chasing glory; they were defending it. The post Ex-Mets Prez Hits Padres, Giants With Harsh Claim as Ohtani Effect Lifts Dodgers appeared first on EssentiallySports.

So close to a sweep — or at minimum a series victory — but instead frustration reigned for the Mets on Thursday.

The Mets secured the season series, but split the four-game series with a 6-5 loss Thursday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

The Mets were close to taking the series over the Dodgers when a mistake by third baseman Brett Baty allowed Los Angeles to tie the Thursday’s game up in the eighth inning.

Pete Alonso homered twice and drove in five runs, Griffin Canning held baseball’s best offense scoreless for six innings and the New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1.

From then through their series against the Dodgers, the Mets had played the equivalent of a 162-game season and had gone 101-61, which was five games better than the second-best record — which belonged to the Tigers, another incredible before-and-after picture.

With the Mets up 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth inning, reliever Reed Garrett seemingly got a big out when Andy Pages hit an easy grounder right at third baseman Brett Baty. Dodgers catcher Will Smith had no choice but to make a break for home from third base, where he should have been tagged out.

Michael Conforto drove in the tiebreaking run in the Dodgers’ three-run eighth inning, and Los Angeles rallied for a 6-5 victory over the New York Mets on to split the NL powers’ four-game series.

With the trade deadline approaching, here are two left-handed relievers the New York Mets should target to bolster their bullpen.