The Sports Xchange
Aug 22, 2017
PITTSBURGH -- Adrian Gonzalez's 2,000th career hit helped propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night at PNC Park.
Gonzalez led off the sixth inning with a double down the right field line. After advancing to third, he scored when Corey Seager singled to right, giving Los Angeles a 6-5 lead.
The Dodgers (89-35) have won 15 of 19 games in August. The Pirates (60-66) have gone in the opposite direction, losing eight of their past 10.
Left-handed reliever Tony Watson (7-4), who started the season as Pittsburgh's closer, pitched a perfect fifth inning for the win. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out the side in a perfect ninth for his 34th save.
Pirates right-handed reliever Johnny Barbato (0-1) gave up the winning run.
Yasmani Grandal put Pittsburgh away with a two-run homer in the seventh that gave Los Angeles an 8-5 lead. The Pirates had fought back from an early deficit.
Trailing 4-0 entering the bottom of the third inning, the Pirates chased Dodgers starter Brock Stewart by scoring five runs.
Starling Marte began the surge with a two-run homer into the left field bleachers. Marte has homered in two of his past four games after a 31-game drought without one dating to April 15 -- before his suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Josh Bell walked to load the bases with no outs. Right-handed reliever Josh Ravin replaced Stewart, who allowed five runs, four hits and four walks in two-plus innings, and immediately saw Josh Harrison smack a two-run double off the right field wall to tie it 4-4.
Harrison scored when John Jaso grounded out, giving Pittsburgh a 5-4 lead.
The Dodgers pulled even with a run in the fourth on Chris Taylor's RBI single.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and scored three more in the second. Yasiel Puig singled before Pirates starter Jameson Taillon walked the next two batters to load the bases in the third.
Stewart singled to left to drive in Puig, and Taylor followed with another single to left, scoring Gonzalez and Logan Forsythe.
Taillon surrendered five runs, five hits and five walks in five innings.
NOTES: Pirates RHP George Kontos was placed on the disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with a right groin strain. He doesn't expect to miss more than the minimum 10 days. ... Pirates RHP Joaquin Benoit was also placed on the 10-day DL with left knee inflammation. He walked four batters in two innings against the Dodgers on Monday. ... Pittsburgh called up RHP Edgar Santana, RHP Johnny Barbato and LHP Steven Brault from Triple-A Indianapolis while optioning RHP Dovydas Neverauskas to Indianapolis. Dodgers LHP Alex Wood was placed on the 10-day DL with inflammation of the sternoclavicular joint. He allowed three runs and five hits in six innings against the Pirates on Monday. ... Dodgers rookie 1B/LF Cody Bellinger also went on the 10-day DL with a mild right ankle sprain. Los Angeles recalled RHP Josh Ravin and RHP Brock Stewart from Triple-A Oklahoma City.