Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts each belted a three-run home run to power the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers to an 11-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
Los Angeles’ Teoscar Hernandez also went deep and Miguel Rojas drove in a pair of runs to highlight their respective three-hit performances. Enrique Hernandez had an RBI double and scored on a throwing error for the Dodgers, who banged out 14 hits to salvage the finale of their three-game series.
Michael Grove (3-2) relieved starter Walker Buehler and picked up the win after allowing one hit and striking out three over two scoreless innings.
Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz launched a three-run homer into the Allegheny River in the eighth inning to trim Los Angeles’ lead to 11-7. Alex Vesia, however, struck out the side in the ninth inning to end the game.
Nick Gonzales followed up his career high-tying four-RBI performance in Pittsburgh’s 10-6 win on Wednesday by blasting a two-run homer in the third inning. Ke’Bryan Hayes had three hits and Jack Suwinski and Edward Olivares each drove in a run for the Pirates.
After the Pirates scored four straight runs to forge a 4-4 tie, Teoscar Hernandez led off a six-run fifth inning by depositing a 1-0 fastball from Bailey Falter (3-3) over the wall in right-center field.
Falter took the loss after permitting five runs on eight hits in four-plus innings. He struck out six with two walks.
Enrique Hernandez added an RBI double to center field and scored on a throwing error from catcher Henry Davis to give Los Angeles a 7-4 lead. Betts stepped up two batters later and sent a 1-1 sinker from Ben Heller over the wall in center field for his 10th homer of the season.
Rojas’ RBI double in the sixth inning extended the Dodgers’ advantage to 11-4.
Los Angeles jumped out to a fast start as Betts and Shohei Ohtani each singled before Freeman deposited a first-pitch fastball from Falter over the wall in right field. Freeman’s homer was his eighth of the season.
Rojas’ RBI single gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead before the Pirates began to chip away.
Suwinski had an RBI single in the second inning, Olivares added a sacrifice fly in the third and Gonzales capped an eight-pitch at-bat by sending a fastball from Buehler over the wall in left field for his fourth homer of the season.
–Field Level Media
