Zach McKinstry returns to Dodgers’ lineup, homers in win over Mets
June 4, 2022 10:43 AM — Posted by anaheimsigns — Posted at irvine sign company-
Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Anderson ran his scoreless innings streak to 26 with six more in the 6-1 victory. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The Dodgers’ Justin Turner, left, congratulates Cody Bellinger for his two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The Dodgers’ Justin Turner, front, congratulates Cody Bellinger for his two-run home run against the New York Mets during the second inning of a baseball game Friday, June 3, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt throws to the plate during the third inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts shows his frustration after striking out during the third inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt throws to the plate during the fourth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Zach McKinstry hits a two-run home run during the fourth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Zach McKinstry watches the flight of his two-run home run during the fourth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Zach McKinstry runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Zach McKinstry gestures to the dugout as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Zach McKinstry celebrates his two-run home run with Cody Bellinger during the fourth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, left, looks at Zach McKinstry, who crosses home plate after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Bellinger also homered in the 6-1 win. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The New York Mets’ Brandon Nimmo is hit by a pitch thrown by the Dodgers’ Tyler Anderson during the sixth inning on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor plays with a bandage on one of the fingers on his right hand during the sixth inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Dodgers relief pitcher Yency Almonte throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The New York Mets’ J.D. Davis, left, congratulates Pete Alonso on his home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso celebrates a home run with teammate Mark Canha during the seventh inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso celebrates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a home run during the seventh inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Dodgers relief pitcher Yency Almonte throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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Dodgers relief pitcher Yency Almonte throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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New York Mets relief pitcher Stephen Nogosek throws to the plate during the seventh inning of their game against the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts rounds second after stealing the base, and advances to third on a wild pitch as New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil watches during the seventh inning on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts advances to third base on a wild pitch during the seventh inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts scores a run during the seventh inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Justin Turner, right, smiles after Mookie Betts scored on a single by Trea Turner during the seventh inning of their 6-1 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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Dodgers relief pitcher Daniel Hudson throws to the plate during the eighth inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor hits a home run during the eighth inning of their 6-1 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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The Dodgers’ Gavin Lux, left, congratulates Chris Taylor on his home run during the eighth inning of their 6-1 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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Dodgers relief pitcher Daniel Hudson celebrates after the New York Mets’ Eduardo Escobar flied out for the final out on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers won, 6-1. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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Dodgers catcher Will Smith, left, congratulates relief pitcher Daniel Hudson after the final out of their 6-1 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
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Dodgers outfielders Chris Taylor, left, Cody Bellinger, center, and Mookie Betts celebrate after the final out of their 6-1 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. (AP Photo/John McCoy)
LOS ANGELES ― Zach McKinstry kept both of his feet in the batter’s box, barely taking a second to take his eyes off the pitcher’s mound. He had just seen his first major league pitch since April 24. His previous 119 plate appearances had been with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where a pitch clock is being strictly enforced for the first time.
A Triple-A hitter has seven seconds to settle in between pitches. An automatic strike (for hitters) awaits the laggards. Getting his first start as the Dodgers’ designated hitter on Friday, McKinstry wore the look of learned helplessness not on his face, but on his feet.
After Chris Bassitt’s next pitch, McKinstry relaxed a bit and took one foot out of the batter’s box. By the end of the Dodgers’ 6-1 victory over the New York Mets, he was finding time to tap the dirt off his cleats with his bat head. Along the way McKinstry did something far more exciting: he hit a home run.
The 27-year-old utility player shed all six of his gloves to serve as the Dodgers’ designated hitter for a day. It only took two at-bats for him to look comfortable in the role, smoking a 2-and-2 cutter over the right field fence for a two-run homer.
“I faced (Bassitt) three times last year,” McKinstry said. “Going through the first at-bat, seeing the pitches – the ball’s moving a little different here, maybe a little better – I tried to stay on top of it a little bit more. He has a little bit of up ride and shoot out of a low arm slot. I got on top of it and drove it.”
Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor also homered for the Dodgers (35-17), who won their second straight game against the Mets (35-19) to start a four-game series between the teams with the best records in the National League.
The six runs were more than enough to support left-hander Tyler Anderson (7-0), whose streak of consecutive scoreless innings reached 26 before a sold-out throng of 52,505 at Dodger Stadium.
Anderson mowed down the Mets with nary a hint of drama for six innings Friday. He allowed three hits, all singles, and did not walk a batter. He struck out five. He did not allow a runner to reach second base.
After showing the Mets little besides his four-seam fastball and changeup for two innings, Anderson sprinkled in his cutter, sinker and curveball more liberally, inducing plenty of weak contact along the way. Anderson threw 81 pitches, 57 of them for strikes.
“He was, once again, just so consistent,” Manager Dave Roberts said.
Anderson, 32, signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Dodgers on March 18. He signed with no assurance of a spot in the starting rotation when the season began, then piggybacked Tony Gonsolin twice before an injury to Andrew Heaney allowed him to start on a regular basis.
Now Anderson leads the league in victories and has authored the longest scoreless innings streak in baseball. According to Stats Perform, he’s the only pitcher in the modern era to go 7-0 (or better) with fewer than seven walks over his first 10 appearances of a season.
“Overall I feel pretty good right now,” Anderson said. “My body feels pretty good. We’re doing a good job getting ahead and game-planning guys.”
New York got its only run when Yency Almonte relieved Anderson in the seventh inning and served up a solo homer to Pete Alonso on his first pitch.
Bellinger’s two-run home run against Bassitt (4-3) got the Dodgers on the board in the second inning. McKinstry’s blast, also to right field, was his first major league home run since July of last year. Taylor’s solo home run against Stephen Nogosek provided the final score.
Trea Turner went 2 for 4 with an RBI single, extending his hitting streak to 26 games. It is the second-longest in baseball this season; Turner also owns the longest streak; his 27-game run spanned two seasons and ended in April.
McKinstry was recalled from Triple-A on Thursday after veteran Kevin Pillar – who got called up ahead of McKinstry and hit poorly, with one hit in 12 at-bats – fractured a bone in his left shoulder. He started at designated hitter only when Edwin Rios suffered a torn hamstring Thursday night.
“Last year we had a lot of injuries as well but I just felt that – nothing against the guys last year – the floor’s been raised with the talent that we have to pull from,” Roberts said. “Zach’s another year older and more confident in who he is as a big-league ball player.
“To lose Eddie Rios for a handful of weeks, have a guy come in and tack on a big home run was big.”
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