On their third game of a seven game east coast road trip, the Los Angeles Dodgers send ace Clayton Kershaw to the mound, hoping to avoid the sweep against the New York Mets at Citi Field. With Kershaw's first pitch scheduled for 10:10 PT, the Dodgers will hope to put a positive spin on things before heading to Pittsburgh. Last night's loss to the Mets means the Dodgers have lost their fourth consecutive series, falling to 4-7 on the season. The Dodgers also look to avoid being swept at Citi Field for the second year in a row, and their second five game losing streak of the season.
Speaking of Streaks, after more than a month of hits, Andre Ethier's 30 game hit streak came to an end last night, as he went 0-4 with a walk. Still, Ethier now owns the second longest hit streak in franchise history, behind only Willie Davis who hit in 31 straight games in 1969. Ethier batted .397 during the streak. He is the record holder for most consecutive hits in the month of May (26), a record formerly held by Joe Torre (22).
Today is also a meaningful anniversary, as 30 years ago today, Fernando Valenzuela got his seventh straight win to start the season, blanking the Mets 1-0 at Shea Stadium. Many consider that start to be the true genesis of Fernandomania, as the media coverage and ticket sales jumped exponentially. The Mets drew 39, 848 that day, when they'd been averaging 11,358.