LOS ANGELES — Jason Vargas was everything the Mets could have wanted Thursday night in keeping his team competitive and swallowing innings to rest a depleted bullpen.
But it was the left-hander’s misfortune to face the National League’s early Cy Young Award front-runner, performing at peak level for the Dodgers.
In a matchup that should have screamed “no contest,” Vargas and the Mets were a step behind in a 2-0 loss at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers ace Hyun-Jin Ryu was brilliant over 7 ²/u2083 shutout innings in which he allowed only four hits in lowering his major league best earned run average to 1.