LOS ANGELES // Two runs down? No sweat for these confident Los Angeles Dodgers.
Adrian Gonzalez scored the go-ahead run on Yasiel Puig's sacrifice fly that capped a three-run sixth inning, helping the Dodgers beat the New York Mets 4-2 on Monday night for their sixth straight MLB victory.
The deficit was small compared to Friday, when the Dodgers rallied from six runs down to beat Tampa Bay on a walkoff.
"It's a special group. Hopefully, special things can happen," said Nick Punto, who homered in the seventh. "We have a lot of talent on this team and things are clicking."
The Dodgers improved to 38-8 since June 22, the franchise's best 46-game stretch in the modern era that began in 1900. The 1899 Brooklyn Superbas had 38 wins in several 46-game stretches between April and June of that year.
Overall, it is the best 46-game run for a major league team since the 2001 Oakland Athletics went 38-8 between August 2 and September 27.
"The confidence is really high," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "Our pitching has been great."
Gonzalez went 3 for 4 and drove in a run for the seventh straight game, the longest RBI streak since Adrian Beltre's eight-game run from July 17-24, 2004.
Ricky Nolasco (9-9) extended his winning streak to three. The right-hander allowed two runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out two and walked two, retiring 11 consecutive batters during one stretch.
"I made a lot of good pitches," he said. "A lot of their hits were well-placed."
Mets catcher John Buck played with Nolasco in Miami.
"He never gives up and never gives in to hitters," he said. "He executes pitches when he needs to, and keeps the team in the ballgame, and that's the thing I remember from him when I was there."
Kenley Jansen got the final four outs to earn his 18th save in 21 chances. He has retired 32 of the last 33 batters he has faced with 18 strikeouts since July 23.
Jenrry Mejia (1-2) gave up three runs - two earned - and six hits in six innings as the Mets' two-game winning streak ended. The right-hander struck out four and walked none. He retired his first eight batters.
New York had won five of six.
Ahead 2-0, Mejia allowed three straight singles to open the sixth, capped by Gonzalez's RBI single over the head of leaping shortstop Omar Quintanilla.
"We actually tried to go down and away to him, and I think it just rode up and in a little bit on him and missed the spot," Buck said. "It was one of those things where he just jammed him in the right spot."
Center fielder Juan Lagares scooped up the ball and fired it to third, but it went off the glove of Wilmer Flores and into the Dodgers' dugout as Gonzalez took third.
That allowed Mark Ellis to score from first behind Carl Crawford, tying the game 2-2.
Puig followed with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Gonzalez, making it 3-2.
Punto homered for just the second time this season, extending the Dodgers' lead to 4-2 in the seventh.
Danny DeVito came on the field after the game wearing Punto's No. 7 jersey.
"I didn't get it back, either," said Punto, who met the actor for the first time. "I've never seen someone so excited. He said, 'It felt amazing for me. It must have felt good for you."'
New York had the tying runs on first and second in the eighth with two outs. Jansen came in and retired pinch-hitter Justin Turner on a called third strike.
The Dodgers got out of a jam in the seventh, when the Mets had runners on first and second with two outs. Daniel Murphy lined out to right, and Puig caught the ball over his shoulder while running toward the wall.
"They've been amazing," Nolasco said about the bullpen. "To get out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh was great."
The Mets led 2-0 in the second on RBI singles by Buck and Quintanilla after Nolasco gave up four consecutive singles to open the inning. Quintanilla's 17 RBI set a single-season career high.
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