Dodgers 3, Mets 0
NEW YORK -- Left-hander Clayton Kershaw retired the first 18 batters he faced en route to a three-hit shutout as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 3-0 Thursday night at Citi Field.
Kershaw (8-6) walked none and struck out 11 while throwing his second shutout in his past three starts. He has not allowed a run in his past 29 2/3 innings.
Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, a longtime tormenter of the Mets from his days with the Philadelphia Phillies, hit a solo homer in the third for the Dodgers (55-42), who extended their lead in the National League West to three games over the idle San Francisco Giants.
Pinch hitter Alex Guerrero drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth, and right fielder Yasiel Puig added a sacrifice fly.
The Mets (49-47) fell to 2-5 in a 10-game, post-All-Star break stretch against a trio of first-place teams (the St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Dodgers).
With Kershaw, the reigning NL MVP and Cy Young Award winner and the author of a 2014 no-hitter, on the mound and the offensively challenged Mets sending out a lineup that featured a .170 hitter (left fielder John Mayberry) batting cleanup, a .179 hitter (third baseman Eric Campbell) batting fifth and a .137 hitter batting eighth (catcher Anthony Recker), it didn't take long for a no-hitter buzz to build at Citi Field.
The Mets didn't have anything close to a hit in the first six innings against Kershaw, who needed only 62 pitches to set down the initial 18 batters. He threw first-pitch strikes to eight consecutive batters between the fourth and seventh.
New York right fielder Curtis Granderson, who fell into an 0-2 hole leading off the seventh, laced a clean single to right to end Kershaw's bid for the second perfect game in Dodgers history.
Granderson's hit allowed the Mets, who were no-hit by Giants rookie right-hander Chris Heston on June 9, to avoid becoming the 11th team to be no-hit twice in a season since 1900.
Second baseman Wilmer Flores followed with a one-out single, but Kershaw got out of the jam by striking out Mayberry and retiring Campbell on a grounder to short.
First baseman Lucas Duda singled leading off the eighth, but he was picked off, and Kershaw retired the final five batters in order.
Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon (9-9) took the hard-luck loss after allowing one run on five hits and no walks while striking out four over a season-high eight innings.
New York scored three runs or fewer for the 56th time in 96 games this year, including 23 of the past 31.
NOTES: Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke's pursuit of RHP Orel Hershiser's consecutive scoreless innings record will be put on hold after his wife went into labor Thursday. Greinke was scheduled to start Friday but will be pushed back to at least Saturday or Sunday. He has thrown 43 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, the longest streak since Hershiser's 59-inning streak in 1988. ... Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson (Achilles) threw on flat ground and will throw a bullpen session Friday before it is determined if he can start Sunday. ... Mets LF Michael Cuddyer (sore left knee) didn't start Thursday for the 12th time in 18 games this month. GM Sandy Alderson said Cuddyer might finally be put on the disabled list Friday. ... The news was better for Mets 3B David Wright (spinal stenosis). Alderson said Wright, who hasn't played since April 14, could resume baseball activities in New York next week.