The Los Angeles Dodgers, with a record of 19-7, entered their series against the 11-16 Pittsburgh Pirates in what appeared to be a very lopsided matchup featuring one of baseball’s best teams facing one of the sport’s worst.
The Dodgers showed the difference in skill during the middle game at PNC Park with an 11-1 victory, but they surprisingly lost the series after dropping the first game and the rubber match.
L.A. only managed to score a combined four runs across their two losses, with one in the first game and three in the finale. The Pirates scored five in both wins, with all their damage in the rubber match coming a the Dodgers bullpen that has been stellar so far.
Although his club didn’t play well overall, manager Dave Roberts gave credit to the Pirates for playing very well and limiting the Dodgers lineup, via SportsNet LA:
“I think the Pirates had a heck of a series. They won a series against a good ballclub. I thought they prevented runs really well in those two games they won. There were some plays, some at-bats that I thought could’ve changed the game — mainly that Freddie at-bat that ended up being a double play, and then obviously the Will Smith at-bat. But you’ve got to give those guys credit.”
The Dodgers went into the series riding a six-game winning streak and in the midst of a 7-1 stretch following sloppy play that resulted in back-to-back losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Roberts said he expected the Dodgers to get back to a higher level of play after their series loss to the Diamondbacks, and he remains confident the Dodgers will rebound after their series with the Pirates.
Despite their two losses, L.A. still holds the top record in the National League at 20-9 (.690 winning percentage) with a one-game lead in the division over the San Diego Padres.
They now have a great chance to get back on track with eight games over the next seven days as they return to Dodger Stadium to face the Philadelphia Phillies.
Dodgers tie franchise single-game doubles record
While the series didn’t go as expected, it wasn’t all bad news as the club was still able to make some history during the middle game of the series on Tuesday.
It was clear the offense was firing on all cylinders as they tied a Los Angeles franchise record with the eight doubles in a game. Of their 15 hits on the night, 10 went for extra bases.
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