Dodgers ride thrilling win into finale with Mets

While Hyun-Jin Ryu's scoreless streak ended on the road this past weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander has shown few weaknesses at home.

That is where Ryu (7-1, 1.65 ERA) will be Thursday as the Dodgers and New York Mets close out a four-game series after Los Angeles' dramatic 9-8 victory Wednesday, when they scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Ryu knows all about magic at home. He is 5-0 over five starts at Dodger Stadium, while his 1.22 ERA there in 37 innings shows that he hasn't just leaned on his team's dynamic offense to get the job done.

The last time Ryu gave up a run at home was in late April against the Pittsburgh Pirates. And his 32-inning scoreless streak ended Saturday against that same Pirates team, but this time in Pittsburgh.

Even with those two runs allowed, Ryu has a 0.71 ERA over 38 innings in five May starts and he has gone 4-0 in the month, ending up with a no-decision May 1 at San Francisco when he gave up one run over eight innings. His overall ERA leads the major leagues.

And if history holds, Ryu is looking at one more May victory. He is 3-1 in six career starts against the Mets with a 1.66 ERA.

A strong close to the month of May, in conjunction with a solid June, and Ryu could be looking at starting in July's All-Star game at Cleveland.

"I actually never really thought about making the All-Star team, let alone starting an All-Star Game," Ryu said recently through an interpreter, according to the Orange County Register. "It never really crossed my mind yet. It's a little too early because you never know what's going to happen in the future. There's still more games to be played before the All-Star break."

Mets starter Jason Vargas (1-2, 5.22) is working on his own consistency. The veteran gave up one run on five hits over five innings Saturday in a victory over the Detroit Tigers, while celebrating his return from the injured list because of a hamstring issue.

The start looked a lot like the ones he had delivered before he was injured. He gave up just one run in three of four starts before hitting the IL.

"I felt like it went pretty well," Vargas told reporters after the Mets defeated the Tigers. "It was nice to just keep us in the ballgame, and let them do the work."

Just two seasons removed from his only All-Star Game appearance, when he won 18 games for the Kansas City Royals, Vargas has a 2.74 ERA going back five starts to a solid outing at St. Louis. One thing he has not done in that stretch is earn a victory. But the Mets have won three of those five games.

Over his 14 seasons, Vargas has started against the Dodgers just five times, going 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA. His most recent start against the Dodgers came last season, when he gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits over 3 1/3 innings as Los Angeles hit two home runs.

He will have to deal with a Dodgers offense that looked out of sorts in consecutive days before turning it on in the closing innings Wednesday. Late home runs from Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy were key in the comeback.

The Dodgers have won seven of their last nine games, 11 of their last 14 and five of their last six at home. Los Angeles also has 15 victories against the Mets in the last 18 games going back to 2016.

--Field Level Media