Mets looking lost at the plate again in 7th straight loss

Soto is nursing a calf injury and isn't expected back for another two to three weeks.

Francisco Lindor raised his batting average 18 points to .194 with a leadoff home run — his first RBI of the season — against World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It snapped the team's streak of 20 scoreless innings and helped the Mets avoid three consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1992.

But Yamamoto promptly set down the next 20 batters in a row.

New York's only other hits were a double by Bo Bichette in the seventh and singles by Carson Benge and Lindor in the eighth.

Trailing by a run in the ninth, the Mets got overly aggressive at the plate and Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia struck out the side to end the game.

“We chase and it's hard to score in situations like that,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You really have to force those guys to come in the strike zone and right now we’re not doing that, especially at the end of the game.”

The Mets are hitting .178 during the skid, including .083 with runners in scoring position (2 for 24). They are averaging 1.43 runs per game with just eight extra-base hits.

“You’re down one run and you’re basically trying to hit one out of the ballpark and that’s when the chase comes,” Mendoza said. “If you continue to swing at pitches out of the strike zone, they’re going to continue to do that, so we have to make adjustments.”

The Mets struck out 11 times, their fourth straight game with double-digit strikeouts. Jorge Polanco, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos had two strikeouts each.

“It’s easy to put too much pressure on yourself,” Mendoza said. “You got to go back to your fundamentals, you got to go back to what got you to this level, understanding that you are a great hitter.”

If not, he said, the offensive struggles can spiral.

“I know it’s tough right now, but the last thing you could do is just panic and try to do too much,” Mendoza said.

The lone bright spot for the Mets was rookie Nolan McLean. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up one run and two hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.

“He pretty much dominated one of the best lineups,” Mendoza said. “It sucks losing when you get that type of outing.”

McLean has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his first 12 major league games.

“It was fun to watch McLean pitch,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Man, he's special.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB