LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ten hits, 11 walks and 18 runners left on base added up a lot frustration — and some wishful thinking — for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“They were out there. We couldn’t get them in,” manager Clint Hurdle after an 8-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
The Pirates left the bases loaded in the first two innings, and went on to tie a franchise record for stranded runners last reached in 1951.
“A ball in the gap would have been nice,” Hurdle said. “We didn’t get it. We had a couple walks, a couple runs, we kept stretching things out. We just weren’t able to score.”
While the Pirates were failing to capitalize, the Dodgers got 17 hits, including five doubles and Joc Pederson’s 17th home run, in a game that didn’t see a 1-2-3 inning until the bottom of the eighth.
“I spent eight years at Coors Field, so this really doesn’t rank with me too much,” Hurdle said. “In Coors Field, there’s a lot of baserunners, but this is an outlier here. There’s no doubt.
“This is a park that has seen a lot of good pitching. Lot of low-scoring games, even though this is a day game. There was a lot of traffic out there,” he said.
Gerrit Cole (7-8) gave up 12 hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings.
“We really focused this week on trying to get some angle and pound the bottom of the zone,” he said. “I thought we did that. It’s not like they didn’t do their job and get hits, but I felt like they were good enough pitches to where, sometimes those balls go to people. Sometimes, you get those guys on the ground.”
As much production as there was, three Pirates errors helped tip this one the Dodgers’ way.
“Those guys didn’t play particularly good defense behind Gerrit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Third baseman Jung Ho Kang contributed his 12th home run in the eighth, but made two errors at third base in the fifth. That came right after the Dodgers successfully challenged an out call at second on what would have been an inning-ending double play.
The Dodgers needed their second successful challenge — and a 2:29 review — to take a 6-3 lead in the fifth.
Dodgers reliever Julio Urias (3-2) put down a sacrifice bunt to first baseman John Jaso, and Howie Kendrick broke home from third. Kendrick made a wide dive to avoid Cervelli’s sweeping tag, and plate umpire Jim Joyce called him out. The call was overturned on replay.
The Dodgers tied it at 3 in the third thanks to a successful challenge and Kang’s two errors on one play at third base.
Pirates left fielder Starling Marte left the game in the eighth inning with upper back discomfort.
“I kept trying to endure it and just play through it,” he said. “Some of my trainers were able to see it, noticed it as well. We spoke about it, and we both agreed that I should just exit the game.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Sidelined since July 2, C Chris Stewart (knee) began a rehab assignment Friday night at Double-A Altoona, catching seven innings. … Cervelli returned to the lineup after missing two games with left wrist discomfort.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (2-0,3.91) gets the start on Sunday. The 23-year-old rookie made his MLB debut (5IP/3ER) against the Dodgers on June 26, outdueling Clayton Kershaw in Pittsburgh’s 4-3 victory. The right-hander has allowed two runs over his last two starts.
Dodgers: LHP Brett Anderson, who underwent back surgery in March, makes his season debut for the Dodgers on Sunday. In three rehab starts, he went 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings. He was 10-9 in 31 starts with Los Angeles in 2015, and will be the 13th starting pitcher used by the Dodgers this year.
