Dodgers Win Home Run Derby, Hold Off Bucs To Take Series With An 8-7 Win

Bad start; Joc Peterson got a 2-2 heater from Jamo and dropped it into the seats; the rest of the frame went by calmly. The Dodgers, after running through their relief corp last night, scratched rookie starter Dennis Santana (sore lat during warmups) and started Huddy, who will be appearing in his third straight game. Looks like a day of bullpenning from the Blue as Hudson spun a clean frame. JT fanned a pair in the second; the Bucs drew a walk but no blood off pitcher #2, lefty Scott Alexander. A leadoff double and bunt (J-Hay made a sweet pick to save Jamo an error) in the third set up the Dodgers. A pop and walk left runners on the corners; a steal put them at second and third, where they stayed. The Bucs tied it off Pedro Baez, tho it took some work - Jordy singled and was bunted up, J-Hay's knock moved him to third and Gregory's sac fly plated him. A Cody Bellinger double, a single and squeeze regained the lead for the Bums in the fourth. Baez's second frame went 1-2-3.

Kinda blah outing by Jamo (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Pederson doubled to open the fifth; three of the Dodger's five leadoff guys have started things off with an extra-base knock. A single moved him to third and a grounder brought him home. Bellinger rolled a two-out, two-strike chase curve into left; the throw to third was late and LA had runners on second and third, but no more damage was done. Yimi Garcia toed the slab.With two gone, Fraze singled as a pinch hitter and J-Hay was unhappily bopped on the elbow by an 0-2 pitch, but Gregory went down swinging. Tyler Glasnow got the call for the sixth; now both sides are bullpenning. He walked eight hitter Breyvic Valera (.182 BA), who plated after a one-out double by Yasiel Puig. He was wild pitched to third, but stayed in place. Josh Fields took his turn and walked Starling, who stole second; J-Bell's two-bagger shipped him home and brought on lefty Edward Paredes. He threw Corey D eight pitches; seven were outside the zone, but he still got the K. Clint sent Freeser to hit for Red Beard; the Dodgers brought in righty Erik Goeddel. David won the battle, barely, with a bleeder infield knock. Eli lined a sac fly to make it 4-3.

A single and Bellinger homer off a 1-2 hung curve from Ty got those runs back in a hurry in the seventh. J-Hay got a one-out knock for the Bucs for their only noise. Michael Feliz was called on for the eighth, and predictably gave up a walk and homer to Joc Pederson. Brock Stewart was next to rhumba. A one-out single followed by an error put him in some hot water, and a two-strike changeup to Eli brought it to boiling when Diaz ripped a three-run homer. Kenley Jansen, the last man standing in the LA pen, strolled in for the five-out save and got two outs closer by shutting the gate on the Bucs. Feliz got through the ninth with just a walk. With one gone, Jansen threw three straight cutters to Amore; he banged the third one over the fence. He stuck with his bread-and-butter, though, and finished off Starling on a fly and J-Bell on a whiff.

Eli has come into his own this year (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

The Pirate pitching was pretty bad again; we wonder if Uncle Ray and Justin Meccage are feeling any heat yet for not being able to develop the young arms any better? Then again, maybe LA, which has been red hot (they've scored five or more runs in nine of their last 11 games), is just in one of those grooves where every mistake is roped. And they are, at least during this series, quite disciplined at the dish; they don't help out by fishing very much. Still, a pity to score 18 runs in two games and come up with a split. Now off to Cubbyland...

Notes:

• J-Hay had two of the Pirates nine hits; Eli had a four-RBI day. Seven different Buccos scored while Corey Dickerson extended his hitting streak to seven games.
• The Dodgers pounded eight homers during the three-game series, three each by Cody Bellinger & Joc Pederson, and scored 22 runs.
• Michael Feliz has been scored on in six straight outings. 
• The Pirates are now 5-of-19 and lost their last six series.
• The game drew 19,713 fans.