Playing an 18th consecutive game against a National League Central opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers maintained their best record in the league by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-2.
They were buoyed early by Cody Bellinger lining a two-run home run off Chris Archer in the first inning. That gave Bellinger 88 total bases thus far, which broke Chase Utley’s MLB record (85) for most before May 1.
Additionally, it marked a 33rd consecutive home game for the Dodgers with at least one home run. That broke the all-time record set by the 1999 Colorado Rockies. Austin Barnes added to the power display with a solo shot in the second inning.
The Dodgers have hit 62 home runs during the 33-game stretch at Dodger Stadium, which dates back to Aug. 21, 2018.
Barnes later hit a two-run double, which was a welcome showing as he entered the night mired in a 1-for-29 slump.
While the Dodgers cruised to a comfortable win, it was the Pirates who initially took a lead. Consecutive singles by Adam Frazier and Melky Cabrera put runners at the corners with nobody out in the first inning. The Dodgers traded two outs for a run when Gregory Polanco grounded to Max Muncy.
Josh Bell’s leadoff home run in the fourth inning then cut the Dodgers’ lead to 3-2. L.A. responded behind Kiké Hernandez’s RBI single and Barnes’ aforementioned extra-base hit.
Ryu allowed a season-high eight hits but wound up blanking the Pirates the rest of the way as he reached 10 strikeouts over seven innings. The 10-strikeout performance was Ryu’s third of his career but first since 2014.
Scott Alexander, Dylan Floro and Yimi Garcia combined for two scoreless innings to finish out the win. Though he only needed one pitch to record the final out in the eighth, Floro’s appearance was his first since April 20.
Floro was hit by a ball during batting practice and suffered from a sore right shoulder that limited his availability during the Chicago Cubs series.
