The Los Angeles Dodgers squandered an early lead but battled back to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-5, to earn a 40th come-from-behind victory this season. What’s more, the Dodgers’ 39th consecutive win when scoring at least four runs is the third-longest in MLB history.
Chris Taylor led Los Angeles with three hits and three RBI. He opened the game with a double and scored two groundouts later, and hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the second inning. At the time it gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.
Brock Stewart struggled mightily in another spot start. He failed to record an out in the third inning and was ultimately charged with five runs.
Jameson Taillon’s leadoff infield single was followed by a Starling Marte home run that cut the Dodgers’ lead in half. A pair of walks sandwiched a single, and Stewart gave way to Josh Ravin, who promptly allowed a game-tying, two-run double to Josh Harrison.
Harrison’s drive just missed clearing the high wall in right-center field for a grand slam, though the Pirates took the lead on John Jaso’s RBI groundout. Taillon immediately allowed the Dodgers to tie the game.
Yasiel Puig’s leadoff walk in the fourth inning was eventually cashed in, as Taylor hit a line drive to Harrison that went for a two-out RBI infield single. Then in the sixth, Corey Seager’s two-out single off Johnny Barbato scored Adrian Gonzalez, who led off the inning with a double to give him 2,000 career hits.
Seager’s single extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Yasmani Grandal’s two-run homer in the seventh provided the last bit of insurance for the Dodgers.
Following Ravin’s two innings of work, Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani combined for three scoreless frames with just two hits allowed. Josh Fields kept the Pirates off the board in the eighth, and Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth to convert his 34th save this season.
