The Dodgers won against the Mets on Friday, but the story remains about reliever Tanner Scott's continued struggles.
The Los Angeles Dodgers walked away with a hard-fought 7-5 win over the New York Mets in 13 innings on Friday night, but the story of the game remains the continued struggles of reliever Tanner Scott, who blew his fourth save of the season — and his second in less than a week.
Scott, who has taken over closing duties in the wake of injuries and bullpen inconsistency, entered the game in the ninth inning with a three-run cushion and a chance to lock down a win in regulation. Instead, he unraveled once again. Jeff McNeil roped a two-run triple to bring the Mets within one, and Tyrone Taylor followed it up with an RBI single to tie the game at five apiece. The meltdown marked Scott’s second blown save in his last three appearances and his fourth in 14 opportunities this season.
The outing echoes his most recent failure on May 20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he also surrendered the lead in the ninth inning, fueling concerns about his reliability in high-leverage situations.
Tanner Scott continues to struggle for Dodgers
Scott's struggles are particularly glaring given the expectations set when he was acquired to bolster the Dodgers’ bullpen depth. While the left-hander has shown flashes of dominance with his swing-and-miss stuff, control issues and a tendency to give up hard contact in key spots have consistently plagued him. His blown save on Friday was not only costly in the moment but also extended the game into extra innings, where the Dodgers burned through multiple bullpen arms.
The game itself turned into a marathon — a 98-minute rain delay, 13 innings, 17 total pitchers used, and nearly six hours of play. Yet despite the exhaustion and missed opportunity to close it out in the ninth, the Dodgers ultimately found a way to win.
Teoscar Hernández, who had already collected an RBI earlier in the game, came through once more in the 13th with a go-ahead double. Andy Pages added insurance with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-5, which held as the final score after the Dodgers bullpen held strong through five scoreless extra innings.
Clayton Kershaw started the game and pitched two clean innings before the rain delay. In relief, rookies Matt Sauer and Ben Casparius carried the load, with Casparius impressing in particular by striking out six across three innings. Offensively, Will Smith and Hernández helped fuel a three-run surge after the delay, giving the Dodgers early momentum.
The Mets, to their credit, rallied late behind McNeil and Taylor, but squandered multiple opportunities in extras, stranding runners in scoring position in three straight innings before the Dodgers pulled away.
The win improves Los Angeles to 32-19, extending their lead in the NL West. Still, Tanner Scott’s reliability in the ninth remains a pressing concern. With two blown saves in less than a week and four on the season, Dave Roberts may soon be forced to reevaluate who gets the ball when the game is on the line.
