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Tuesday, Aug. 1 5:05pm ET
Dodgers rally for split with Pirates | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Los Angeles reliever Matt Herges, frustrated with a third successive loss to a losing team, said the Dodgers had to "beat up on" teams like the Pirates. The Dodgers went out and did exactly that. Alex Cora hit a go-ahead two-run triple in a three-run eighth inning and the Dodgers avoided losing a doubleheader to Pittsburgh rookie pitchers, beating the Pirates 5-3 in the second game Tuesday night. Adrian Beltre homered and drove in three runs after the Dodgers lost the first game 6-0 to Pirates rookie Jimmy Anderson. The Dodgers dropped the final two games of a three-game weekend series in Philadelphia. "The way we've been swinging the bats, you start to wonder what's wrong," Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. "We have too good a hitting club to stay in something like that. I just think we were a little flat. I don't think it's been great pitching against us." Anderson might dispute that. He has been dominating since returning from the minors, pitching five-hit ball over eight shutout innings in the opener. Pirates rookie Bronson Arroyo left leading 3-2 after six innings of the second game, but his bullpen couldn't hold the lead. "It's the first time in my professional career I've pitched on three days' rest," he said. "I'm getting more comfortable each time I go out there." After Josias Manzanillo struck out Gary Sheffield looking with the bases loaded in the eighth, Marc Wilkins (2-2) came in to walk Shawn Green ahead of Todd Hundley's single in the eighth. Pirates closer Mike Williams, who rarely pitches before the ninth inning, then gave up Beltre's tying RBI double before Cora tripled to right field. "If (Beltre) doesn't get that double, I probably get pinch-hit for," said Cora, the Dodgers' No. 8 hitter. "I've been saying all along, it can't just be Sheffield and Shawn and Eric Karros the whole time. Guys at the bottom of the order have to do their job. If we don't come through, those guys aren't going to see as many good pitches." Herges (8-0) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to become the first Dodgers pitcher to win eight in a row since Pedro Martinez in 1993. The Pirates led 2-0 on John Vander Wal's two-run homer off Ismael Valdes in the first inning and Enrique Wilson's solo shot off Antonio Osuna in the fifth. Wilson played his first game since being traded by Cleveland. Valdes, traded back to the Dodgers by the Cubs in a trading deadline deal, struck out eight in a four-inning outing abbreviated because he warmed up and pitched to three batters before Monday's game was rained out. "No, it wasn't tough. I felt pretty good," Valdes said of pitching on consecutive nights. "It was just a matter of getting into it. Once I got through the first, I felt good." Terry Adams pitched a scoreless eighth before Jeff Shaw finished up for his 17th save in 24 opportunities and the 150th of his career, all in the last four seasons. He has pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings in his last nine appearances. Alex Ramirez, also included in the Cordero deal, hit a two-run double in the first game as Anderson (4-5), who won once in 11 starts in the first three months of the season, improved to 2-0 in four starts since a short stay in the minors. The left-hander has yielded three earned runs in 30 2/3 innings in the four starts. Anderson has an 0.88 ERA since returning from Triple-A Nashville on July 16. "You can see his confidence is better every time out," manager Gene Lamont said. "Early on, he was struggling to throw strikes, but now he's throwing inside ... it's made him a different pitcher." Ramirez's double came in a three-run fourth inning aided by two wild pitches by Carlos Perez (4-6). Perez, winless in 13 starts, was roughed up for the second successive start, giving up five runs and nine hits in four innings as the Pirates took a 5-0 lead after four. The left-hander lasted three-plus innings in his previous start, giving up eight earned runs in an 11-4 loss to Colorado on July 26. "You'll have to ask him why he's not pitching very well," Johnson said. Kevin Young followed Jason Kendall's double with a run-scoring single, the 10th time in Perez's 19 starts he has been scored upon in the first inning. Emil Brown singled in a run in the third, his ninth RBI in four games. Bruce Aven hit a solo home run in the seventh. Game notesDodgers P Kevin Brown was ejected for arguing after Sheffield's strikeout. ... Anderson has yielded one unearned run in 14 2/3 innings in two starts against the Dodgers. ... It was the first doubleheader of the season for both teams. ... The Pirates have outhomered their opponents 38-15 over the last 23 games. ... Pirates pinch-hitters were 0-for-16 until Luis Sojo singled in the second game. ... Pirates LHP Scott Sauerbeck was hit in the left elbow by Chad Kreuter's line drive in the ninth inning of the first game, but X-rays were negative. ... The Pirates signed INF Mike Benjamin to a $1.85 million, two-year contract extension one day after Vander Wal agreed to a $3.7 million, two-year deal. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Los Angeles Clubhouse Pittsburgh Clubhouse RECAPS Oakland 3 Toronto 1
Pittsburgh 6
Los Angeles 5
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