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Craig Kimbrel crumbles against Pirates for his first blown save with Dodgers
The Dodgers appear poised to get back the right stuff from the left side.
Left-handed starters Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Heaney took major steps toward coming off the injured list long before fans arrived at Dodger Stadium on Monday night for the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Then the game began and staff ace Walker Buehler and closer Craig Kimbrel took pronounced steps backward, enabling the Pirates to escape with a 6-5 victory.
Pirates rally to defeat Dodgers, 6-5
Craig Kimbrel came in to close it out for the Dodgers, and he failed. With one out, Rodolfo Castro walked. He took second on a wild pitch. Michael Perez singled to right, scoring Castro with the tying run, with Perez taking second on the throw home. Calvin Mitchell hit a grounder to first that bounced off of Freeman’s glove for an error, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Kimbrel struck out the next two to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Hanser Alberto struck out swinging. Mookie Betts hit a ground-rule double to right-center. Freddie Freeman walked. Trea Turner flied to right. Will Smith struck out swinging.
Final score: Pirates 6, Dodgers 5
Dodgers take 5-4 lead heading to ninth inning
The Dodgers got a leadoff double from Trea Turner in the bottom of the eighth (extending his hitting streak to 22). He moved to third on Will Smith’s flyball to right. Edwin RĂos struck out after fouling off several tough pitches. Justin Turner doubled to left-center. Pirates pitcher David Bednar just keep feeing him fastball. I don’t care of Turner is 95 years old and hasn’t gotten a hit in 50 years, you can’t just keep throwing him fastballs. Chris Taylor followed with a single into no-man’s land in right field, and just like that, the Dodgers have a 5-4 lead. Kevin Pillar struck out swinging.
Score after eight: Dodgers 5, Pirates 4
It’s 4-3 Pirates after six innings
Walker Buehler settled down nicely for the Dodgers after a shaky first three innings. He retired the side in order in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half, Trea Turner and Will Smith made outs, and Pirates manager Derek Shelton played the percentages, bringing in left-hander Dillon Peters to face left-handed hitting Edwin RĂos, who hits Peters’ first pitch for a home run. So much for playing the percentages. Justin Turner then struck out to end the inning.
Score after six: Pirates 4, Dodgers 3
Alberto, Betts homer as Dodgers cut Pirates’ lead in half
The Dodgers pulled a little closer in the bottom of the fifth. With two out, Hanser Alberto hit his first home run as a Dodger. He was followed by Mookie Betts, who hit the next pitch for a home run. Freddie Freeman struck out to end the inning.
Score after five: Pirates 4, Dodgers 2
Pirates extend lead to 4-0
Bryan Reynolds homered with one out in the top of the third to extend the Pirates’ lead to 4-0. Buehler gave up two more hits before getting out of the inning.
The Dodgers got a two-out double from Freddie Freeman, but he was stranded when Trea Turner grounded to third.
Score after three: Pirates 4, Dodgers 0
Pirates take 3-0 lead after two innings
After a quiet first inning, the Pirates went to work in the top of the second. Josh VanMeter led off with a walk and moved to second on Jack Suwinski’s single. Tucupita Marcano then cleared the bases with a three-run homer off of a 95-mph four-seam fastball from Walker Buehler. Diego Castillo and Michael Perez both struck out to end the innings.
With one out in the bottom of the second, Justin Turner walked on four pitches. Lux grounded to first for a routine double play, but shortstop Rodolfo Castro dropped the throw. Everybody safe. Kevin Pillar then grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Score after two: Pirates 3, Dodgers 0
Tonight’s starting lineups
Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Heaney take encouraging steps toward return from IL
The Dodgers appear poised to get back the right stuff from the left side very soon.
Encouraging performances from Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Heaney came several hours before the series opener Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both left-handed starters took major steps toward coming off the injured list.
Kershaw threw 38 pitches in the bullpen, used his entire arsenal and could go on a minor league rehabilitation assignment after one more bullpen session in a few days.
Heaney pitched two innings against Dodgers minor leaguers from the Dodger Stadium mound and struck out all seven batters he faced. He threw 24 strikes in 33 pitches and looked for all the world as effective as he was in his last start April 17, when he struck out 11 and gave up one hit in six scoreless innings.
The Dodgers signed Heaney to a one-year, $8.5 million free-agent contract during the offseason despite a horrific finish to 2021 after he was traded by the Angels to the New York Yankees. Heaney posted a 7.52 ERA in 35 2/3 innings with the Yankees and surrendered a staggering 13 home runs.
Spring training proved revelatory for Heaney. He learned a sweeping slider, and the immediate positive impact experienced by other pitchers exposed to the Dodgers’ coaching staff led by Mark Prior was even more profound for Heaney.
In two starts before injuring his left shoulder, he pitched 10 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up four hits while striking out 16. And he said Monday that the shoulder pain is gone.
“Knock on wood, I don’t feel anything,” he said. “I’m definitely getting back to executing pitches and doing what I was doing. I’m not thinking about how it feels or anything like that.”
Kershaw last pitched May 7, and he too was off to a scorching start, going 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts. He pitched seven perfect innings in his first start and dominated three of his next four as well.
His back injury was troubling, but an MRI exam did not show structural damage. His bullpen session Monday was a major step.
“He was outstanding,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He might argue that it wasn’t outstanding, but he used his entire pitch mix.”
ICYMI: Tyler Anderson and Dodgers cap stellar road trip with sweeping performance
PHOENIX — They visited three cities in 10 days. They traveled more than 5,000 miles. They played almost 33 hours of baseball.
The most important number from the Dodgers’ 10-game trip the last two weeks: They won eight games, the last of which came Sunday in a 3-1 defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Behind six scoreless innings from Tyler Anderson, an early scoring barrage that included a Will Smith home run and RBIs from Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner, and another successful day from the bullpen, the Dodgers completed a four-game sweep at Chase Field and finished their trip with an 8-2 record.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season: