Los Angeles, CA – Johan Santana gave up just three hits in eight innings Saturday night and the New York Mets shut out the reeling Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-0.
The Dodgers have been shut out in five of their last six games and have lost seven in a row for the first time in almost four years.
Santana (6-4) was unhittable for much of the game and improved to 5-0 lifetime against the Dodgers. He didn't allow a hit between leadoff singles in the first and eighth innings, closing June with another gem after beginning the month with the franchise's first no-hitter.
Ike Davis hit a three-run homer for the Mets, who have won the first three games of this four-game set -- the last two by shutouts -- and four in a row overall.
The Dodgers are just 1-11 in their last 12 and have been held scoreless in 56 of their last 57 innings. They have dropped seven in a row for the first time since an eight-game slide from Aug. 22-29, 2008.
LA starter Nathan Eovaldi (0-5) gave up five runs on seven hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings to remain winless in seven starts this season.
"It's really tough days right now (but) we know we're going to get out of this," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly. "We have to put runs on the board. When you're not putting up runs you look bad. Right now it's a rough time."
Santana finished 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA in June, including his no-no against the Cardinals on the first day of the month. He was bested by knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who won Friday's game to go 5-0 in the month with a 0.93 ERA.
Dee Gordon's third-pitch single on an 0-2 count leading off the first inning was the only hit Santana gave up until Scott Van Slyke led off the eighth with a single.
Gordon stole second base, the only Dodger to make it that far until the eighth as Santana allowed just three baserunners in the first seven innings, two on walks.
"I felt good. I threw my fastball inside and they were swinging right away," said Santana. "I threw some sliders and my changeup was good. I just tried to get ahead in the count. We continue to have fun and play good baseball."
Meanwhile, the Mets took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Davis led off with a double and scored on back-to-back fly outs by Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy.
Murphy hit a leadoff double in the fifth, went to third on Kirk Nieuwenhuis' ground out and scored on Josh Thole's sacrifice fly.
In the sixth, Davis' 11th homer of the season scored Andres Torres and David Wright for a 5-0 lead. Eovaldi was then relieved by Scott Elbert after giving up a single to Duda.
Santana escaped trouble in the eighth after Van Slyke's leadoff single and Tony Gwynn's one-out base hit. The runners were stranded after ground outs by Adam Kennedy and Gordon and Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect ninth in relief.
Game Notes
The Mets are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between the teams. They are 4-2 on a seven-game road trip...Eovaldi earned his only win last season...Santana had a single.
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