Poor pitching and hitting dooms Dodgers in 8-1 loss to the Pirates

Tucupita Marcano is blocked from the plate by Austin Wynns in the seventh inning. The run was allowed when it was ruled on review that Wynns illegally blocked the plate.

(Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press)

PITTSBURGH — For the second straight night, the shorthanded Dodgers started a lineup with Jason Heyward batting third, a trio of rookies in the Nos. 4-6 spots, and three sub-.200 hitters rounding out the batting order.

It didn’t look good on paper. And in an 8-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, it produced even worse results.

After surprisingly exploding for eight runs in a series-opening win Tuesday, the Dodgers managed just four hits in their blowout defeat Wednesday at PNC Park, feeling the continued absences of Will Smith (concussion), Max Muncy (paternity list) and J.D. Martinez (back tightness) acutely as they lost a three-game winning streak.

“Unfortunately, yeah, we do have some guys in and out,� Heyward said. “But that’s part of the game. People get hurt, people go down … We just keep going, keep battling.�

The Dodgers (13-12) were held hitless through five innings by Pirates starter Roansy Contreras.

They left runners stranded on the corners in the sixth, when Heyward and James Outman (who once again served as the cleanup hitter) flied out to retire the side.

And by the time Freddie Freeman lifted a solo home run in the eighth, it was far too late, with the speedy, small-ball, first-place Pirates (17-8) having already opened up an eight-run lead.

“I don’t want to belabor it,� manager Dave Roberts said of his lineup’s notable absences. “We still got good players and they got to perform.�

The Dodgers are hoping to get reinforcements soon.

Muncy is scheduled to be back Friday. Smith, who took live batting practice and caught bullpen sessions Wednesday, could return as soon as Saturday. And Martinez isn’t currently expected to go on the injured list, Roberts said, despite missing his second straight game.

In the meantime, however, the rest of the Dodgers roster has been doing itself few favors.

Despite his home run, Freeman only has a .839 OPS and nine RBIs in the opening month. Fellow former MVP Mookie Betts has been even quieter, batting just .241 with three home runs so far.

The Dodgers veteran depth hasn’t shown up either, with Heyward, Trayce Thompson, David Peralta and Chris Taylor all mired in extended slumps.

And on the other side of the ball, the Dodgers inconsistent pitching staff — which got 3-⅓ scoreless innings from Tony Gonsolin in his workload-restricted season debut, but more poor performance from struggling relievers Yency Almonte and Alex Vesia — was tormented again by the opposition’s running game, giving up six more stolen bases Wednesday to raise their season total to an MLB-most 35.

“Right now I don’t know the answer,� Roberts said. “The best answer is to try to keep them off first base, but once they get there, they’re taking advantage of us.�

Eighth inning

Dodgers: Right-hander Dauri Moreta now pitching for the Pirates. Austin Wynns grounded to short. Mookie Betts grounded to third. Freddie Freeman homered to deep right. No shutout tonight. Jason Heyward struck out swinging.

Pirates: Bryan Reynolds flied to right. Drew Maggi, batting for Andrew McCutchen, struck out swinging. Carlos Santana grounded to short.

Score after eight: Pirates 8, Dodgers 1

Seventh inning

Dodgers: Right-hander Robert Stephenson now pitching for the Pirates. Miguel Vargas grounded to the pitcher. Michael Busch struck out swinging. Chris Taylor singled to left. David Peralta flied to left.

Pirates: Bryan Reynolds was hit by a pitch. Andrew McCutchen flied to center. Carlos Santana walked. Jack Suwinski singled to shallow center, loading the bases with one out. Connor Joe grounded to the pitcher, forcing Reynolds at home. Rodolfo Castro singled to left, scoring two. Alex Vesia replaced Yency Almonte. Ji Hwan Bae hit a grounder to third. Busch threw to second, but Vargas was late covering. He then threw home to try and get pinch-runner Tucupita Marcano scoring. Marcano was called out, but on review, he was called safe because Austin Wynns was illegally blocking the plate. Bae and Castro stole second and third. Jason Delay doubled to left, scoring both runners. Ke’Bryan Hayes flied to center.

Score after seven: Pirates 8, Dodgers 0

Sixth inning

Dodgers: Austin Wynns singled to right-center. Mookie Betts struck out looking. Freddie Freeman singled to right, Wynns to second. Jason Heyward flied to right, Wynns to third. James Outman flied to center.

Pirates: Connor Joe struck out swinging. Rodolfo Castro doubled to left. Ji Hwan Bae singled to center, Castro to third. First and third, one out. Jason Delay hit a grounder off of Bruihl’s glove for a single, scoring Castro. Bruihl should have made the play. Yency Almonte replaced Bruihl. Bae stole third. Ke’Bryan Hayes grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

Score after six: Pirates 3, Dodgers 0

Fifth inning

Dodgers: Miguel Vargas walked. Michael Busch flied to center. Vargas stole second. He was initially called out, but it was overturned on review. Chris Taylor struck out swinging. David Peralta lined to left.

Pirates: Ji Hwan Bae walked. Bae stole second. Jason Delay sacrificed Bae to third. Ke’Bryan Hayes walked. Bryan Reynolds singled to left, Bae scored, Hayes to third. Andrew McCutchen singled to right, Hayes scored, Reynolds to second. Justin Bruihl replaced Phil Bickford. Carlos Santana grounded to the pitcher, McCutchen out at second. First and third, two out. Jack Suwinski flied to left.

Score after five: Pirates 2, Dodgers 0

Fourth inning

Dodgers: Freddie Freeman grounded to first. Jason Heyward flied to center. James Outman struck out swinging.

Pirates: Andrew McCutchen grounded to short. Carlos Santana singled to center. Jack Suwinski walked. Phil Bickford replaced Tony Gonsolin. Connor Joe struck out swinging. Rodolfo Castro popped to short.

Score after four: Dodgers 0, Pirates 0

Third inning

Dodgers: David Peralta lined to right. Austin Wynns struck out swinging. Mookie Betts flied to right. Dodgers go down on eight pitches.

Pirates: Ji Hwan Bae struck out swinging. Jason Delay singled to center. Ke’Bryan Hayes walked. Bryan Reynolds grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Score after three: Dodgers 0, Pirates 0

Second inning

Dodgers: Miguel Vargas grounded to third. Michael Busch grounded to second. Chris Taylor struck out looking.

Pirates: Carlos Santana flied to right. Jack Suwinski walked. Connor Joe lined to second. Rodolfo Castro grounded to first.

Score after two: Dodgers 0, Pirates 0

First inning

Dodgers: Mookie Betts swung at the first pitch and popped to short. Freddie Freeman grounded to second. Jason Heyward walked. James Outman flied to left.

Pirates: Tony Gonsolin makes his season debut for the Dodgers. Ke’Bryan Hayes grounded to short. Bryan Reynolds grounded to third. Andrew McCutchen flied to left.

Score after one: Dodgers 0, Pirates 0

The starting lineups for today’s Dodgers-Pirates game:

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PITTSBURGH — Pirates left fielder Jack Suwinski drifted to the warning track, felt for the wall and leaped to rob Mookie Betts of a potential go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning Tuesday night.

When Suwinski tried to do the same two innings later, however, Chris Taylor left him empty-handed.

In a back-and-forth contest at PNC Park — the Dodgers scored two runs early, then gave up seven, then rallied against a surging Pittsburgh team that had won seven straight — it was Taylor’s blast in the eighth inning that decided it, a three-run bomb that sailed over Suwinski’s head and lifted the Dodgers to an 8-7 win.

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