NEW YORK – There’s no better indicator of the different directions in which the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are headed than the main topic of conversations following Saturday night’s game Chris Lindstrom Jersey , when the Dodgers were excited by the return of their Hall of Fame-bound ace and the Mets were pondering if the pitcher with the second-worst ERA in team history would have to start in place of the pitcher with the worst ERA in team history.

The Dodgers will look to complete a sweep of the reeling Mets Sunday afternoon, when the two teams play the finale of a three-game series at Citi Field.

The Dodgers hit a game-breaking grand slam for the second straight game Saturday, when Matt Kemp’s pinch-hit blast off Robert Gsellman in the eighth inning provided insurance and then some in an 8-3 win. On Friday, Cody Bellinger snapped a scoreless tie with a sixth-inning grand slam off Zack Wheeler in a 5-2 victory.

The big news Saturday for the Dodgers (40-35), who have gone 24-9 since May 17, was the return of ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who missed the previous three-plus weeks due to a lower back strain. Kershaw allowed two runs in three innings in his first start since May 31.

Manager Dave Roberts said afterward he expected Kershaw to start again on Thursday or Friday.

“To not just have the mindset that I can keep going and know that at some point the plug is going to be pulled, that’s got to be tough for the psyche,” Roberts said of the famously competitive Kershaw. “But I think for me, for us, it’s just more of having him out there is such a plus and just a boost for all of our guys.”

If the Mets (31-43), who have lost five straight and are 20-41 since an 11-1 start http://www.falconscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-kaleb-mcgary-jersey , are going to get a badly needed boost Sunday, they’ll receive it from an unknown and unlikely source.

Manager Mickey Callaway said Saturday night that Jason Vargas, who was scheduled to start Sunday, will be placed on the disabled list with an injury he suffered while doing conditioning work earlier this week.

Callaway said the Mets have yet to decide who will start.

Right-hander Chris Flexen will be recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace Vargas on the active roster and is a candidate to start.

Vargas is 2-6 with an 8.60 ERA in nine starts this season and has a 9.38 ERA in 11 career starts with the Mets, for whom he also pitched briefly in 2007. Vargas’ ERA is the highest for any Mets pitcher who has thrown at least 40 innings for the team.

The second-highest ERA in Mets history belongs to Flexen, who has an 11.57 ERA in two appearances this season and an 8.05 ERA in 16 games (nine starts) dating back to last season. Flexen last pitched Thursday, when he got the final out of the Mets’ 4-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies before being optioned to Las Vegas.

“We’re going to see when guys come in (and) play catch,” Callaway said. “Our bullpen’s obviously thrown some innings and we’re going to see how everybody’s feeling when they come in (Sunday) and make that decision then.”

Another possibility to draw the start or to pitch extended innings in relief is rookie Tim Peterson.

He last pitched Thursday, when he tossed 1 1/3 perfect innings against the Rockies and has a 1.17 ERA in five games. The only other Mets reliever to not pitch Friday or Saturday is closer Jeurys Familia.

Whomever pitches for the Mets will oppose Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill (1-2, 4.99 ERA), who is scheduled to make his second start since coming off the disabled list last Tuesday, when he pitched against the Chicago Cubs.

Hill Kendall Sheffield Jersey , who missed a month with a blister on his left middle finger, didn’t factor into the decision after allowing three hits over six scoreless innings in Los Angeles’ 2-1, 10-inning loss.

Hill is 1-2 with an 8.00 ERA in six career games (four starts) against the Mets. Neither Flexen nor Peterson has ever faced the Dodgers.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean McVay and Jon Gruden both knew they’ve got to coach against each other in a real game just 23 days after the Rams’ preseason visit from the Raiders.So while the Raiders’ return to the Coliseum was a thrill for their faithful Southern California fan base, the Rams’ young coach and his veteran role model both made sure the action on the field was as meaningless as possible.Rookie John Kelly rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown, and the Rams welcomed the Raiders back to LA with a 19-15 preseason victory over Oakland on Saturday.Chris Warren rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders in their return to the venerable stadium that was their home for 13 seasons during their largely successful tenure in Los Angeles. Their passionate local following turned out in force, filling the 95-year-old arena with black jerseys and loud cheers.“It was awesome being back here,” Gruden said. “If you understand the Raiders, they have had a history here, a championship history here. There are still a lot of fans that remember those teams, and rightfully so.”But both teams rested nearly all of their presumptive starters and used no significant parts of their playbook, thanks in part to a weird NFL scheduling decision that forced these teams to play an exhibition three weeks before they meet in their Monday night regular-season opener in Oakland.“I’ve never been in a preseason game like this,” Gruden said. “This is tough http://www.falconscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-john-cominsky-jersey , in our first training camp as a football team, to have our second (preseason game) against a team we open up with.“I don’t know in the history of the NFL if that’s ever happened. I’m not going to sit up here and cry about it, because it’s the same for them as it is us. But we didn’t want to play our starters, and we didn’t want them to hear our audibles and hand signals. I don’t think they wanted us to get a feel for them either, so it was a strange ballgame.”Although both coaches revealed as little about their teams as possible, McVay still relished his first chance to face Gruden, who employed McVay as a 22-year-old assistant wide receivers coach on his final staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008. McVay frequently cites Gruden and his brother, Jay, as major influences on his coaching style and mentality.“Everybody knows what a huge amount of respect I have for Jon, and how great he’s been to me over the course of my coaching career,” McVay said. “(But) they were pretty regulated. Very similar in terms of the approach by both teams. Very vanilla.”The Rams’ backups dominated the Raiders’ reserves in the first half, taking a 13-0 lead while holding Oakland to 58 yards and one first down. Oakland trailed 16-0 before mounting a rally Qadree Ollison Jersey , but the Raiders failed on their second 2-point conversion attempt of the day following Griff Whalen’s 10-yard TD catch with 9:52 to play.“I was going to do everything humanly possible to avoid overtime today, yes,” Gruden said.Sam Ficken then hit his second field goal for the Rams with 5:46 left.“It’s definitely different, because it’s not their starters out there, and you want to save stuff for later,” said Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam, one of the few likely regular-season starters who played significant snaps. “You still want to do your best, though.”The Raiders’ offense didn’t record its second first down of the day until late in the third quarter, but Warren capped the 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. The undrafted free-agent running back from Texas had 86 yards in his preseason debut against Detroit.“It’s about showing I can play in the league and make the most of my opportunities,” Warren said. “I didn’t expect to play as much as I did. It was nice to get some good pops in. I was able to get some yards after contact.”HOMECOMING GAMEAl Davis moved the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982, and their home crowds at the Coliseum quickly developed a reputation for rowdiness and occasional violence. But the Raiders also won the hearts of a generation of Los Angeles football fans with their swagger and success, including a Super Bowl title in their second season in town.The Rams spent the 1980s in Anaheim Rashan Gary Jersey , further opening the way for the Raiders to become Generation X’s favorite team in LA.Both franchises moved after the 1994 season, and the Rams returned home two years ago. The Raiders missed out on the chance to return to LA when the Chargers made their move last year, but the Raiders will be only about 260 miles from Los Angeles when they move to Las Vegas in 2020, making it even easier for LA’s silver-and-black fans to back their team.RAIDERS WOESWarren was the clearest standout on a discouraging day for Oakland’s offense. Gruden was blunt, calling it “flat-out embarrassing, honestly.”E.J. Manuel went 10 for 16 for 89 yards and a touchdown, but also fumbled for the second straight week. The Raiders’ backup offensive line struggled to keep the Rams’ pressure off Manuel and Connor Cook, who went 6 for 12.MANNION IMPROVESRams backup QB Sean Mannion rebounded from a rocky preseason debut last week in Baltimore, going 10 of 16 for 84 yards while completing passes to eight receivers. Third-stringer Brandon Allen wasn’t as sharp, going 6 for 11 and throwing a terrible interception in the fourth quarter to put Oakland in position for its second TD.INJURIESRaiders: K Eddie Pineiro didn’t play because of a groin injury. … CB Shareece Wright injured his hamstring during the game.Rams: RB Justin Davis didn’t play because of a hamstring injury, preventing him from competing with Kelly and Malcolm Brown for the backup job.ANTHEM UPDATEThere were no apparent protests during the national anthem.UP NEXTRaiders: Host the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 24.Rams: Host the Houston Texans on Aug. 25.