NEW YORK (Interstat) — The New York Mets used a pair of three-run homers to erase a two-run deficit and defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, snapping a four-game losing streak and avoiding a three-game sweep.

The Dodgers jumped ahead early, scoring two runs in the third inning and one in the fourth to build a 3-1 lead behind starter Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan pitched five innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out five. But the Mets’ offense awakened in the sixth and seventh innings, and a dominant bullpen silenced the Dodgers over the final four frames.

New York got on the board first in the bottom of the first. A.J. Ewing led off with a double to right-center and scored on a single by Francisco Lindor. The Mets loaded the bases but could not add more, leaving Sheehan with a 1-0 lead after one.

Los Angeles answered in the top of the third. Eliezer Alfonzo opened with a ground-rule double, and after Shohei Ohtani struck out, Andy Pages walked. Freddie Freeman doubled to left, scoring Alfonzo and sending Pages to third. Max Muncy grounded out to second, driving in Pages and giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. Muncy’s groundout pushed Freeman to third, but Mookie Betts flied out to end the inning.

The Dodgers extended the lead in the fourth. Tommy Edman singled, and Kyle Tucker reached on a fielder’s choice with an error by first baseman Jared Young, putting runners at first and second. Teoscar Hernández singled to load the bases, and Alfonzo grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Edman for a 3-1 lead. Freddy Peralta retired Ohtani and Pages to escape further damage.

Sheehan worked scoreless fourth and fifth innings, striking out four of the last seven batters he faced. He left after five, having thrown 87 pitches. The Dodgers managed only one hit over the next four innings.

The Mets tied the game in the sixth. Carson Benge walked and Jorge Polanco flied out. Luis Robert Jr. walked, bringing up Tyrone Taylor, who launched a three-run homer to left field, his eighth of the season. Taylor’s blast gave the Mets a 4-3 lead. Sheehan’s replacement, Evan Phillips, had entered with two outs and allowed the home run.

The Mets blew the game open in the seventh. Phillips remained on the mound after a strikeout of Benge but then walked Polanco. Mets manager Buck Showalter sent up Marcus Semien as a pinch‑hitter for Brett Baty. Semien crushed a three‑run homer to left, his 11th of the year, scoring Bo Bichette, who had singled earlier, and Polanco. The inning produced four runs and an 8-3 lead.

Phillips took the loss, his second against no wins, allowing one hit and one earned run in two‑thirds of an inning with one strikeout.

The Mets bullpen took over from there. Left‑hander Cionel Pérez earned the win, pitching two scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing no hits. Brooks Raley, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver each tossed a scoreless inning, with Williams striking out three and Weaver allowing two hits but stranding the bases loaded in the eighth.

For Los Angeles, Charlie Barnes tossed a scoreless seventh, striking out two.

The Dodgers outhit the Mets 9-6 but left eight runners on base and went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position after the fourth inning. Ohtani doubled in the first and Freeman had two hits, including a double. Alfonzo also doubled. The Dodgers struck out 13 times.

New York’s Freddy Peralta started and went four innings, allowing six hits and three runs (two earned) with three strikeouts. He exited with the Mets trailing 3-1.

The attendance was 34,566. The game lasted 3 hours, 3 minutes.

The Dodgers fell to 67-39, still the best record in the National League. The Mets improved to 44-62, still last in the NL East. Los Angeles had won the first two games of the series, including a 4-3 victory Saturday that extended their winning streak to four. The series loss was the Mets’ first since dropping two of three to Boston on July 10-12.

Los Angeles returns home Tuesday to open a three‑game series against Seattle. The Mets host Atlanta on Monday for a three‑game set.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Los Angeles 5, New York 3, and the ELO system gave the Dodgers a 66.5 percent probability to win. Los Angeles was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 11 went under the over/under line of 9.