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Dodgers down to Clayton Kershaw again after loss to Mets, 13-7

Daniel Murphy, left, celebrates with David Wright, center, and Yoenis Cespedes after scoring on Cespedes' three-run home run in the fourth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS.

Daniel Murphy, left, celebrates with David Wright, center, and Yoenis Cespedes after scoring on Cespedes’ three-run home run in the fourth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS.

(Kathy Willens / AP)
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The Dodgers are back to where they were at this stage of the postseason last year: One defeat from elimination, with Clayton Kershaw about to take the mound in Game 4 of a National League division series on three days’ rest.

“If we’re going to go down, we’re going to go down with our two horses,” catcher Yasmani Grandal said.

Zack Greinke will pitch Game 5, but only if Kershaw and his teammates can do what they failed to do 12 months ago and extend the series beyond Tuesday.

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The Dodgers are in this position again because starting pitcher Brett Anderson and long reliever Alex Wood were dreadful Monday night in a 13-7 defeat to the New York Mets, who claimed a critical two-games-to-one advantage in the best-of-five series.

Anderson gave up six runs in the first three innings and Wood four over the next two. The Dodgers never had a chance, as they allowed more runs in this game than in any previous playoff game.

“The name of the game is location,” Grandal said. “When we missed a location, they made us pay.”

Such as when Yoenis Cespedes blasted a line drive into the second deck behind the left-field wall for a three-run home run that extended the home team’s advantage to 10-3 in the fourth inning.

The breathtaking home run served up by Wood permitted the crowd watching the first postseason game at Citi Field to turn its collective attention to Chase Utley.

“We-want-Ut-ley!” the crowd chanted again and again.

Utley didn’t play in the game, but was eligible to do so, as he appealed the two-game suspension he received for breaking Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada’s right leg with a takeout slide in Game 2. The ban was pending an appeal hearing.

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The scene at Citi Field was circus-like. As Utley ran from the Dodgers bench to the field for pregame warmups Monday, he was chased by a swarm of cameras.

“This is unbelievable,” Grandal said.

The Dodgers received a rude welcoming from the New York crowd, which booed everyone from the team’s traveling secretary to the clubhouse manager during pregame introductions. As expected, the loudest and angriest response was reserved for Utley, who remained on the bench as Howie Kendrick started at second base for the third time in this series.

The Dodgers said they weren’t bothered by the furor.

“That’s why you play baseball,” Anderson said. “You want to play in front of crowds like this.”

Even with hard-throwing Matt Harvey pitching for the Mets, the Dodgers struck first.

Singles by Justin Turner, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford loaded the bases in the second inning.

Grandal singled to right field to drive in Turner and Ethier. Crawford scored when right fielder Curtis Granderson’s throw sailed over the head of third baseman David Wright.

Suddenly, the Dodgers were ahead, 3-0.

The lead vanished almost immediately.

Cespedes led off the bottom of the inning with a single and reached second on a single by Lucas Duda. Travis d’Arnaud singled to center field, scoring Cespedes and advancing Duda to second.

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Later in the inning, Granderson doubled with the bases loaded to drive in three runs and move the Mets in front, 4-3.

The Mets led for the remainder of the game.

The margin increased to 6-3 in the third inning, when d’Arnaud blasted a two-run home run.

That inning marked the end of Anderson’s night, as Joc Pederson pinch-hit for him in the top of the fourth inning.

Anderson’s final line: six runs, seven hits, no walks, three strikeouts over three innings.

His replacement, Wood, fared no better.

The Dodgers opted to start Kershaw on short rest instead of Wood, who had yet to pitch in this series.

Wood inadvertently justified the decision, as he allowed four runs in the fourth inning, which was highlighted by Cespedes’ blast.

By the time the Dodgers scored again on a solo home run by Adrian Gonzalez in the seventh inning, the game was all but over.

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The postseason road loss was the seventh in a row for the Dodgers.

“It’s frustrating, but at the same time, we’ve been in this situation before,” Grandal said. “We have to forget about today and win a game tomorrow.”

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez

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