The Los Angeles Dodgers scored five unanswered runs to overcome an early deficit but Craig Kimbrel blew his first save of the season in a 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates that ended a four-game winning streak.
Walker Buehler again had trouble finding success with his four-seam fastball and as a result the Dodgers were faced with a 4-0 deficit. Tucupita Marcano hit a three-run home run in the second inning, the first of his career, and Bryan Reynolds added a solo shot in the third.
Like in prior starts, Buehler went away from his heater and began to find a rhythm as he got through six innings. His ability to keep the Pirates off the board after the home runs allowed the Dodgers an opportunity to chip away.
Hanser Alberto and Mookie Betts started the comeback effort with back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth inning. That gave Betts 12 home runs this month, which tied with Roy Campanella for the Dodgers record of most in May.
Betts additionally reached 21 extra-base hits in May, which tied with Jackie Robinson for the Dodgers franchise record. Betts later broke the record in the ninth inning.
The Dodgers record for most home runs in a calendar month is 15, shared by Pedro Guerrero (June 1983) and Duke Snider (August 1953).
Betts is the first player with 12 home runs and 30 runs scored in a single month since Troy Tulowitzki accomplished the feat in September 2010.
Edwin Ríos slugged the Dodgers’ third solo homer of the night, greeting left-handed relief pitcher Dillon Peters with an opposite-field blast in the sixth.
Clearing the final hurdle in the comeback was ignited on Trea Turner’s leadoff double in the eighth inning that extended his hitting streak to an MLB-best 22 games. Justin Turner tied the game with a two-out RBI double, and Chris Taylor’s bloop single gave L.A. a decided lead.
Kimbrel wasn’t particularly sharp in a back-to-back appearance as he issued a walk and threw a wild pitch with one out. The Pirates immediately took advantage by tying the game on Michael Perez’s RBI single.
Freddie Freeman’s error on a backhanded attempt at a grounder brought in the game-winning run for the Pirates.
Betts hit a ground-rule double with one out in the bottom of the ninth and Freeman walked, but both were stranded by Trea Turner and Will Smith.
Dodgers home winning streak against Pirates snapped
The Dodgers had their winning streak against the Pirates at Dodger Stadium snapped at 12 games. Pittsburgh previously ended a string of overall losses to L.A. at 16 in a row when they won the series opener at PNC Park on May 9.
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