Pollock, Beaty both drive in a pair in win against Pirates

LOS ANGELES — With the San Francisco Giants seemingly incapable of losing a baseball game, the pressure has been on the Dodgers to keep pace all month. Such was the case when the Dodgers looked at the scoreboard on Tuesday night. The Giants’ win against the Mets became final fairly early in the night, so the game took on an even greater importance. Though they could have and should have scored a whole lot more, they got a couple of clutch hits with runners in scoring position and beat the Pirates by a score of 4-3.

Dodgers break through in third

Though the boys in blue had scoring opportunities in almost every inning on Tuesday night, they only cashed in on two occasions. The first came in the bottom of the third. Corey Seager led off the inning with a double, continuing his strong showing coming off the IL. One out later, Cody Bellinger hit a hustle double of his own, sending a line drive to center field. However, Seager was unable to score on the play and had to pull up at third.

Now with runners on second and third, AJ Pollock came to the plate. Even though Pollock has been tearing it up all summer, the last few games or so have been poor at the plate for the Dodgers left fielder. However, on the first pitch he saw from Pirate starter Wil Crowe, he hit a little bleeder over the shortstop’s head to score both runners and put the Dodgers up 2-0.

Pirates tie it up in the fourth

The Dodgers sent David Price to the mound in this game, and he delivered a very Price-like performance. In other words, decent, but not overpowering. He got into the fifth inning, scattering three hits along the way and walking just one. He got in trouble in the top of the fifth, when the Pirates scored a pair.

Bryan Reynolds hit a run-scoring double and came around to score after a fly ball moved him to third, and he scampered home on a fielder’s choice to Gavin Lux at third. It was the classic contact play, with Reynolds breaking for home with the crack of the bat. And a good throw to the plate would have nabbed Reynolds dead to rights. However, Lux gacked the toss home and the ball skittered away from Will Smith and the game was tied. It was Lux’s first start in nearly a month, and his first start this season at third. To be honest, it could have gone a whole lot better. He went 0-for-2 and had a pair of throwing errors as he tried out the new position. Obviously, Lux at third is still a work-in-progress.

Beaty with the two-out clutch

This game shouldn’t have been as close as it was. In all, the Dodgers went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners during the night. However, one Dodger stepped up and got that much needed clutch knock. Matt Beaty came to the plate with two out and two on in the bottom of the fifth.

Reliever Cody Ponce was dealing a lot of off-speed stuff to the Dodgers’ first baseman, but Beaty managed to spoil a couple of pitches before he got one to his liking. He ripped an 80 mph curveball down the right field line past the diving Yoshi Tsutsugo at first base. It rattled around in the corner a bit and allowed both Corey Seager and AJ Pollock to score. The Dodgers were up 4-2 heading into the later innings of the ballgame.

More solid bullpen innings

After David Price exited the game with two out in the fifth, it was another solid night from the Dodgers’ pen, the latest in a string of brilliant work in relief. This time, it was Corey Knebel, Phil Bickford, and Blake Treinen who did the honors, none of whom surrendered a hit or walk in their outings. The Pirates bullpen matched the Dodgers, though, and the game headed into the ninth inning with the Dodgers still ahead 4-2.

Kenley shaky, but preserves the win

Good thing Kenley Jansen had an extra run of insurance to work with on Tuesday night, because he was not at his best. For the second straight night, he gave up a ninth inning double to former Dodger Yoshi Tsutsugo. Just as he had done on Monday, Tsutsugo took a Jansen pitch the opposite way and got an easy double. After a strikeout and a walk, suddenly Jansen was faced with the go-ahead run coming to the plate with only one out. Colin Moran came up as a pinch hitter and quickly delivered a run scoring single to center. Suddenly, things had gotten very, very interesting.

However, two pitches later, the game was over. Jansen got a weak liner to Justin Turner for the second out of the inning, and then induced Hoy Park to ground out to Trea Turner at second to end the game. Final score 4-3, Dodgers. Corey Knebel gets the win out of the pen for getting David Price out of a fifth inning jam, and Kenley Jansen notched his 25th save of the season.

Just gotta keep winning

It can be frustrating to watch the scoreboard at this time of year, especially when you know you are playing well, and you just can’t seem to make up any ground in the standings. However, the Dodgers can only play the game that is in front of them, and though it was far from a clean and efficient affair tonight, it was a win. And every one of them counts the same on the left side of the Win-Loss column. One more game against the Pirates on Wednesday and then it’s four with the Mets over the weekend. No starting pitcher has been announced, but likely Mitch White should get the bulk assignment, regardless of who gets the start on Wednesday. 7:10 start against JT Brubaker.

One last time: Let’s go, Mets!