Dodgers pounce on Mets errors for welcome win

The Los Angeles Dodgers finally broke out of their scoring drought and snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 8-3 victory over the New York Mets, who will be unhappy to have plotted their own downfall with a series of errors. The Dodgers (44-36) had been shut out in five of their last six games as they fell out of first place in the National League West. “We’re still in second place, so we have to go out and win more games,” Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon told reporters as his team remained a game behind leaders San Francisco. Gordon helped spark the turnaround when he scored on an error in the fifth inning, where the Dodgers tallied two runs to tie the game 3-3, then stole a pair of bases in the seventh, where the home team scored four times to end their slump.The critical seventh saw two Los Angeles runners cross home plate when New York catcher Mike Nickeas mishandled a throw. The Dodgers needed just seven hits to secure the victory and snap the Mets’ four-game winning streak. Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (6-4) set up the victory with seven strong innings and nine strikeouts. He allowed just one earned run in the first but the Mets (43-37) added two in the third to move 3-1 ahead on a pair of throwing errors by Gordon. Gordon redeemed himself in the fifth, while James Loney’s sixth-inning RBI gave struggling Los Angeles their first lead since June 24. “You’ve just got to keep going,” Kershaw said. “That’s part of this game. It’s never easy sometimes and you’ve got to keep grinding and keep battling.” from gulfnews.com