LOS ANGELES — The situation didn’t merely call for a pinch-hitter on Wednesday night. It screamed for one.

The Dodgers trailed the New York Mets, 3-0, in the seventh inning when Andy Pages smoked a double into the left-field corner and Michael Conforto was hit by a pitch, putting two on with one out against Mets left-hander Jose Castillo.

On the bench for the Dodgers was right-handed-hitting starting catcher Will Smith, who was batting .323 with a .920 OPS, five home runs and 31 RBIs and had a .440 average (22 for 50) with two homers and 28 RBIs with runners in scoring position.

But Manager Dave Roberts stuck with the left-handed-hitting Dalton Rushing, the rookie who was making his seventh start behind the plate since his May 14 callup. Rushing struck out, Kiké Hernández struck out, a

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