Cool temperature and a hazy sky enshrouded Dodger Stadium at first pitch on Sunday afternoon and is it began to burn off, the Los Angeles Dodgers heated up at the plate to notch a second consecutive comeback victory and sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 7-6 win.
The Dodgers’ offense — as it so often has this season — was jumpstarted by Cody Bellinger. He narrowly missed a three-run home run in the first inning, with his drive to right field caught at the wall for a sacrifice fly.
Bellinger atoned for that by taking Trevor Williams deep in the fourth inning for a solo home run. Bellinger’s 14th homer tied an MLB record for most before May 1. The mark is shared by Albert Pujols (2006), Alex Rodriguez (2007) and Christian Yelich (2019).
In the fifth, consecutive singles by Kiké Hernandez and Russell Martin put two on with nobody out. Rich Hill’s sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, and Corey Seager ensured they weren’t stranded with a two-out, two-run double.
Seager then scored on Max Muncy’s blooper that fell in right field for a game-tying RBI single. Muncy later pushed the Dodgers ahead with a line-drive RBI base hit in the seventh inning, but it was Bellinger who provided what ultimately was the difference with run-scoring single of his own.
That gave Bellinger 44 hits this season, which broke Rafael Furcal’s Dodgers franchise record for most in March/April. Bellinger previously laid claim to most total bases in MLB history before May 1.
For all the assertion from Hill that he long was prepared to come off the 10-day injured list, his 2019 debut got off to an inauspicious start.
Pittsburgh took a lead two batters into the game as Melky Cabrera clubbed a solo shot to left field. It was one of two home runs Cabrera hit off Hill, as his two-run blast extended the Pirates’ lead to 5-0 in the second inning.
The Dodgers didn’t do much to help Hill, as Muncy’s throwing error allowed the leadoff man to reach. Martin then inexplicably fielded a bunt that may have rolled foul, and didn’t have a play which put runners at the corners with nobody out.
Pablo Reyes’ RBI single gave the Pirates a lead and Adam Frazier’s groundout drove in a run before Cabrera golfed a curveball for his second home run. Hill did manage to settle in from there, retiring the side in order in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
Overall, he set down 13 in a row and finished with six strikeouts. Of the five runs allowed, only one was earned.
After completing a scoreless seventh inning, Julio Urias was let down by his defense in the eighth. Alex Verdugo charged a base hit in an apparent attempt to throw out Cabrera at first base. The ball kicked off the heel of Verdugo’s glove and his feet gave out from underneath him.
A walk followed, and the two-base error was cashed in by Josh Bell’s RBI single. Urias buckled down from there to retire the next three batters faced and strand both runners. Kenley Jansen worked around a two-out walk and double in the ninth to convert his 10th save.
