NEW YORK -- Mets center fielder Michael Conforto robbed the Dodgers' Joc Pederson of an RBI hit with a sensational diving catch in the third inning of New York's 5-2 loss at Citi Field.
Mets starter Zack Wheeler had gone six up, six down before Enrique Hernandez poked a single through to right field to lead off the third. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Wood and advanced to third on a steal that was later ruled a balk.
Pederson stepped up to the plate and with a 3-2 count sent a 105.5-mph laser to deep center, but Conforto made a full-extension diving catch toward the outfield wall to end the scoreless inning.
The Mets' defense looked promising on Friday night, as all three outfielders made noteworthy catches. Along with Conforto's leaping snag, Brandon Nimmo made an impressive diving play in the fifth to rob Justin Turner, and in the eighth inning, Jose Bautista trailed a blooper in short right field by Turner and made the sliding catch.
"Defense played awesome behind me," Wheeler said. "They made some really good plays, and it's always nice when that happens."