Dodgers continue remarkable run with 4-2 win over the Mets

There hasn’t been anything like this in Dodgers history, not only in this century but in the last one as well.

With their 4-2 win over the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, the Dodgers are a remarkable 38-8 in their last 46 games.

And the last team in franchise history to accomplish that feat was a forerunner of the Dodgers, the Brooklyn Superbas of 1899 — 114 years ago.

This was the sixth consecutive win for the first-place Dodgers, who are 21-3 since the All-Star break and 18 games above .500 for the season.

BOX SCORE: Dodgers 4, Mets 2

The win in the first game of a three-game series with the Mets was the quintessential team effort.

A batch of singles — along with a Mets throwing error — enabled the Dodgers to score three times in the sixth inning, and Nick Punto’s solo home run in the seventh added insurance.

“It feels like one of those teams,” Punto said.

Dodgers starter Ricky Nolasco (9-9) gave his offense a chance to get back in the game by settling down after a rocky second inning, and the bullpen escaped a rocky seventh inning as well.

“It wasn’t very pretty, but it was pretty in the end,” Manager Don Mattingly said. Still, he said, Nolasco was “pretty good all night, just that one inning.”

The Dodgers remained 71/2 games ahead of the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, who also won, in the National League West.

At first the Dodgers struggled to get anything going against Mets starter Jenrry Mejia.

The 23-year-old Mejia (1-2), a right-hander bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in 2011, held the Dodgers scoreless through the first five innings.

But in the sixth inning, after Carl Crawford and Mark Ellis singled, Adrian Gonzalez singled to score Crawford.

New York center fielder Juan Lagares fielded Gonzalez’s hit and threw wildly to third base, the ball bouncing into the dugout. That allowed Ellis to tie the score at 2-2 and Gonzalez to move to third as the crowd of 42,915 erupted.

Yasiel Puig followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Gonzalez and gave the Dodgers the lead.

Then it was nail-biting time for the Dodgers. After Nolasco had retired 11 consecutive batters, the Mets loaded the bases against him and reliever Ronald Belisario with one out in the seventh.

But Belisario struck out Lagares for the second out and Paco Rodriguez, following Belisario, got Daniel Murphy to hit a deep line drive that Puig caught in right centerfield to end the threat.

“Our bullpen, outstanding again,” said Punto, who hit his second home run of the season on a 0-1 pitch from New York reliever Carlos Torres.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen got the last four outs to earn his 18th save.

It appeared in the second inning that the Dodgers might be in for a long night when Nolasco was tagged for two runs on four consecutive singles. But Nolasco got Eric Young to ground into an inning-ending double play.

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