Dodgers settle in for longer haul
Roberts says best ball is ahead after beating Pirates
Wait — there’s more.
The Dodgers reached the 60-game mark of the 2021 season Tuesday night, batting around the perennially rebuilding Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3, for their 11th consecutive win over the rudderless NL Central franchise.
A year ago, this was the finish line for the regular season and the Dodgers reached it in a fullout sprint, having gone an MLB-best 43-17. But the finish line has moved this year. The Dodgers are eight games behind last year’s pace (35-25) — with a long way still to go.
“I don’t think there’s any point in comparing the two,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Last year was a 60-game season. This year is 162. I think where we’re at right now — obviously, we’d like to be leading the standings. We’re not.
“Our best baseball, in my opinion, is yet to come. Yeah, we’re fortunate it’s 162. But we knew that going into the season. We just gotta continue to get better every night.”
Roberts admitted there was a different feel to the 2020 sprint, knowing there was no time to wait “to get better.”
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Every game is important. We try to win every single baseball game. But the truth is it’s a longer season. To play every game like it’s Game 7 — or last year when every game meant 2.5 or
whatever the number was — it’s not the case this year. We’re still trying to play to win. But again, it’s not 60 games.”
The Dodgers still have 102 games then to smooth out the rough edges of an offense that has shown the capability of doing great damage — but is also prone to taking long naps.
In 22 innings after an eight-run explosion in the fifth inning Friday night in Atlanta, the Dodgers’ lineup hit .160 (13 for 81) with just three extra-base hits (two doubles and an Albert Pujols home run).
The hibernation continued for four innings in Pittsburgh. Pirates starter J.T. Brubaker held them scoreless for four innings, allowing just a pair of singles in that time.
“He really had his slider working. He was doing a good job of mixing that with his fastball, kind of back and forth off the outside corner,” Dodgers second baseman Chris Taylor said. “He was working off that outside corner, wasn’t giving us too many pitches to hit early. Then I think he got a little tired . ... His velocity was down a little bit. His ball didn’t have quite the same life on it and we were able to take advantage.”
Gavin Lux started it in the fifth inning with a one-out single, going all the way to third when Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco misplayed the ball.
AJ Pollock drove him in with a double then scored when Mookie Betts tripled to center field. Max Muncy made it a three-run inning when he drove Betts home with an RBI single.
Having chased Brubaker, the Dodgers added two more runs on a home run by Taylor in the sixth.
A five-run night is usually overkill against the Pirates this season. They came into this series last in the majors in home runs, slugging percentage and team OPS. Only the New York Mets have scored fewer runs this season – in six fewer games.
Walker Buehler did what you’re supposed to do against a lineup that feeble. He held the Pirates scoreless for seven innings, allowing just two hits.
But he had some help from Ke’Bryan Hayes.
One of the best building blocks the Pirates have, Hayes drilled a 97-mph fastball on the outer half off the right field foul pole in the first inning. Unfamiliar with the concept of a round-tripper (the Pirates have hit just 41 all season) or confused as the ball bounced back onto the outfield grass, Hayes missed first base as he ran by. The Dodgers appealed and Hayes was called out.
“I saw him reach for the bag. But I was kind of more towards home plate and I couldn’t really tell,” Roberts said. “Austin (Barnes) and Clayton (Kershaw) were more down at the end of the dugout so they had a better vantage point. Those guys, Austin in particular, get credit for getting Chad Chop, our replay guy, on that one. That was a big play. I think that allowed Walker to settle into that game.
“It was a big play, a big catch by Austin.”
An error by Lux helped load the bases in the second inning but Brubaker bounced out to end that threat. And in the third, Hayes was at it again.
After making it safely to first base on a single, Hayes tagged up and took off for second on Bryan Reynolds’ fly ball to left. He didn’t get there in time, ending the inning.
“He’s a good young player . ... He’s probably going to get a call from his father,” Roberts said, referring to long-time big-league player and coach Charlie Hayes.
The Pirates didn’t get another hit off Buehler but they did score a run against Joe Kelly in the eighth and finally got the whole home run thing down pat in the ninth when they hit two (Bryan Reynolds and Michael Perez) off Nate Jones, forcing Roberts to bring in closer Kenley Jansen to get the final out.
“Yeah, this was a big answer for us,” Taylor said of rebounding from back-to-back losses in Atlanta.