NEW YORK (AP) - Yasiel Puig wowed the Mets crowd with his genius in the field then made the fans even happier with two frustrating mental lapses on the bases.
Puig made a sensational catch but ran into two costly double plays, and the Dodgers made two more miscues that helped end Zack Greinke’s remarkable runs-allowed streak in a 5-3 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday night.
Puig was doubled off second base on an infield fly with one out in the sixth, then in the seventh he was doubled off second when rookie Eric Campbell made his own spectacular diving catch on Hanley Ramirez’s line drive.
“Being Yasiel’s on the aggressive end, I think what we see is a great player,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “The catch he makes in right-center and the things he tries to do, and then we see that same aggressiveness … I’m not sure what he was thinking with the infield fly. … On the other one, I think we just have to be a little bit more cautious.”
Puig ran from his position in right field to deep right-center to make a diving backhanded catch on Wilmer Flores’ drive in the second inning. The dynamic Cuban landed on his twisted glove hand, held onto the ball and threw a laser to first that nearly doubled off the runner.
“That’s one of the best catches I’ve ever seen,” Campbell said. “That was crazy.”
Greinke’s stretch of 21 straight starts allowing two or fewer runs ended. A mark that hasn’t been matched since at least 1914 was done in by some sloppy play.
“Just in my experience, we’ve played incredible defense when I’m pitching throughout the years,” Greinke said, “so, if someone makes one mistake in one game, you can’t really say too much.”
Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp bobbled Curtis Granderson’s drive in the first inning to right-center, allowing Granderson to take third base on a double in a 12-pitch at-bat. Granderson then scored on Campbell’s sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, third baseman Justin Turner failed to glove Daniel Murphy’s slow grounder that allowed Jonathon Niese to score for a 3-1 lead.
Niese (3-3) reached on a well-struck RBI double to right-center following Anthony Recker’s double to a similar spot.
Greinke was lifted after five, yielding four hits, three runs - one earned - two walks and four Ks. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 22 games, also a record.
“It was OK at first and then just got worse in the second inning and never really got back on track completely,” Greinke said.
The Dodgers tied it in the seventh 3-all when Turner hit his first homer with the Dodgers after spending parts of four seasons with the Mets after Niese walked Scott Van Slyke.
But Juan Lagares had a tiebreaking RBI single off Chris Perez (0-2) in the seventh for New York, which won for just the sixth time in 20 games this month and avoided a three-game sweep.
Granderson tripled in a run in the eighth for a 5-3 lead.
The Dodgers had two chances spoiled by Puig’s adventurous running.
In the sixth, Niese walked Chone Figgins, playing in place of Dee Gordon, leading off. Los Angeles put runners on first and second when Murphy, the second baseman, dropped Wright’s force attempt on Puig’s grounder- the call was upheld by replay. But Niese escaped unscathed when Puig ran into an out on an infield fly gone awry.
Ramirez hit a high popup to second base. Murphy backed up under the ball but appeared to lose it in the lights. When the ball fell, Murphy hesitated and Puig jogged into second. Apparently thinking he was forced out, Puig wandered off second and was tagged out for the double play.
“I didn’t actually see the umpire give the signal,” Puig said through a translator. “I felt it was a little bit too late and, by that time, I was already off the base. I thought it was going to be a double play and I was already off in that situation.”
Puig hit a one-out double in the eight off the base of the wall in center field. But he took off on Ramirez’s line drive to left-center that Campbell, playing left field for the first time in his major league career, caught with a full out dive. Campbell easily doubled off Puig.
NOTES: Jenrry Mejia pitched the ninth for his second save.. … Mattingly said RHP Chad Billingsley (elbow surgery, 60-day DL) is nearing rehab games again. Mattingly did not have a date for when he would go out, tough. Billingsley’s recovery from surgery was setback by tendinitis. … Up next: The Dodgers head to Philadelphia on Friday and the Mets play host to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.