GAMEDAY

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson began Friday afternoon with an emphatic directive for his sub.500 club. Just win, baby.

“We need some more wins. We’re 10 games under .500, and we need to see improvement in our win-loss record almost immediately,” Alderson said before the start of a three-game series against the Dodgers. So much for motivational speeches. Cody Bellinger’s grand slam highlighted a 5-2 Dodgers’ win, sending the spiraling Mets to a season-high 11 games under .500 (31-42), in front of 32,565 at Citi Field.

Starter Zack Wheeler (2-6) was pitching well until the top of the sixth, when he issued consecutive walks to open the inning.

After the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out, 2017 National League Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger socked a no-doubt grand slam into the second deck in right field on a 0-2, 96 mph Wheeler fastball. Yasiel Puig added an insurance run in the ninth, with a solo homer off reliever Chris Beck. The Mets missed scoring opportunities all night. In the bottom of the second, the Mets had the bases loaded with one out. But Amed Rosario’s grounder to third was deftly scooped up by former Met Justin Turner, who fired home for the force out on Michael Conforto. Wheeler then struck out to end the inning.

Turner made another nifty defensive play in the fifth with two men on and two outs, fielding Todd Frazier’s scorching grounder on two bounces, and then firing across the diamond for the final out. Frazier slammed his helmet to the ground, but it bounced and hit him in the face.