LOS ANGELES — The Mets’ biggest offseason lineup addition might have been Starling Marte.
A nonfactor for the team last season as he dealt with ailments, the veteran outfielder has returned strong and emerged as a central figure in an unrelenting lineup over the past two weeks.
Saturday he delivered a mammoth sixth-inning homer that sent the Mets to a sixth straight victory, 6-4 over the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
The Mets won a fifth straight series, this one over a team favored to win the World Series following a $1 billion winter shopping spree.
Marte walked to the plate in a 2-2 game in the sixth and smashed reliever Ryan Brasier’s second pitch, a slider, over the center-field fence for a three-run homer. The blast was Marte’s fourth this season, second on the team to Pete Alonso’s six.
“Just see it and hit it,” Marte said through an interpreter of his approach. “I know that I was facing a real good pitcher in that moment and he has good pitches and you just see one in the zone and just take that type of approach with it.”
In the eighth, Marte (who delivered an RBI single before his homer) reached on an error and stole second before scoring an insurance run on Francisco Lindor’s RBI single.
“It’s fun to watch and I am just so happy that [Marte] is healthy,” Brandon Nimmo said. “Now we all get to enjoy watch Starling be Starling.”
The Mets were threatened throughout, but held on as Drew Smith, Jorge Lopez, Edwin Diaz and Reed Garrett navigated the final 3 ²/₃ innings. Diaz was summoned in the eighth and walked Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to load the bases before escaping by striking out Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy. Garrett then struck out the side in the ninth to secure the save.
Jose Butto scuffled early, elevating his pitch count, but kept the Mets in the game. The right-hander pitched 4 ¹/₃ innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits and five walks with six strikeouts.
“I didn’t have my best stuff, but I kept fighting,” Butto said. “Our lineup of guys did a real good job and our bullpen too and we won the game and the series. That’s the most important thing.”
The Mets sent seven batters to the plate against Gavin Stone in the first inning, but scored only once, taking a 1-0 lead on Lindor’s RBI double. It was a second straight game with an extra-base hit from the left side for Lindor, who blasted a go-ahead homer in the seventh batting lefty on Friday. Prior to that Lindor was 5-for-55 batting lefty this season.
After Lindor’s double, DJ Stewart and Jeff McNeil each walked to load the bases, but Harrison Bader was retired to end the threat. The inning started with Nimmo drawing a walk and stealing second.
The Dodgers also scored once in the first and left the bases loaded. Freeman slapped an RBI single against Butto following Mookie Betts’ leadoff double and a walk to Ohtani. Muncy’s walk loaded the bases with one out following the Freeman single, but Butto struck out James Outman and Andy Pages.
Marte’s RBI single in the fourth gave the Mets a 2-1 lead after Joey Wendle singled leading off and stole second. Stone was removed after 3 ¹/₃ innings and was charged for both runs.
Ohtani doubled leading off the fifth and after Butto plunked Hernandez with one out, Michael Tonkin entered. Muncy’s sacrifice fly tied it 2-2 before Tonkin struck out Outman to leave the go-ahead run on first.
Zack Short walked leading off the sixth and Nimmo was hit by a pitch, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to remove lefty Ryan Yarbrough and insert Brasier. Marte homered on the second pitch to give the Mets a 5-2 lead.
“The biggest thing is not only is he healthy, feeling good, he’s having fun,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Smith entered with the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the inning and walked Betts before striking out Ohtani. But Freeman stroked a two-run single that sliced the Mets’ lead to 5-4. Smith walked Hernandez to load the bases but escaped by retiring Muncy.
Diaz and Garrett handled the rest after the Mets extended their lead.
“The energy is what stands out and how we’re all playing for each other,” Marte said. “It’s that we’re all supporting each other and playing really good baseball. That is what has stood out over the last couple of weeks.”
