The Los Angeles Dodgers concluded their six-game road trip on a winning note, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7, in the finale of a three-game series at PNC Park.
Joc Pederson once again began the scoring with a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning. He finished 3-for-5 in the contest with two more singles and three RBI.
With the Dodgers sporting a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning, Cody Bellinger added some insurance in the form of a two-run home run. It was his team-leading 11th of the year and third of the road trip to boot.
Pederson capped off the Dodgers’ offensive outburst with his second home run of the game in the eighth inning — a two-run shot scoring Logan Forsythe that increased the Dodgers’ lead to five runs.
Pederson has evidently found his power stroke, as the big fly marked his fifth home run hit during the team’s six-game road trip. Prior to this week, Pederson had hit only one homer over his first 53 games of the season.
Dennis Santana was scratched from his outing with right lat soreness, so Daniel Hudson received a spot start in his place, paving the way for another bullpen game.
The contingent of Hudson, Scott Alexander, Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia, Josh Fields, Edward Paredes, Erik Goeddel and Brock Stewart combined to allow six earned runs over 8.1 innings pitched before handing the ball to Kenley Jansen for his first five-out save, and 15th overall of the season.
For Goeddel, he has yet to allow a run in a Dodgers uniform since joining the organization as a waiver claim on May 18. He provided 1.2 innings of relief on Thursday, increasing his scoreless streak to 10.1 innings pitched.
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