PITTSBURGH — A new city, a new series, and exactly the kind of performance Los Angeles needed. The Dodgers answered the only way that matters. Los Angeles pounded out 15 hits, detonated a historic seventh inning and walked out of Pittsburgh with a 12-3 series-opening win that was never really in question after the sixth. Back-to-back home runs in the first nearly restarted the nightmare. The Dodgers refused to let it.
Lauer Holds His Own Against a Tough Draw
Eric Lauer and Paul Skenes traded scoreless innings through the first, but Pittsburgh’s young ace got his punchlines in early. Bryan Reynolds went deep in the bottom of the first, and Ryan O’Hearn followed with a back-to-back shot to put the Pirates up 2-0 before Los Angeles had barely settled in.
Lauer settled down after absorbing the punches, going 5.2 innings and allowing just those two early runs while punching out five. He gave the Dodgers exactly what they needed: enough.
Skenes cruised through the middle innings, keeping the lineup off-balance, but the Dodgers chipped away. Kyle Tucker delivered a sacrifice fly in the second to get one back. Max Muncy’s sharp double set the table in the sixth and Freddie Freeman’s two-out ground ball single tied it at 2. The game was even heading into the seventh. That’s when everything broke loose.
The Seventh Inning: A Masterclass in Damage
If the Dodgers wanted to send a message on this road trip, the seventh inning was the loudest possible way to do it. What started with a Dalton Rushing single and an Alex Freeland single turned into a 10-run explosion that essentially ended the series opener before the eighth inning arrived.
A throwing error by catcher Henry Davis on a pickoff attempt scored Rushing and opened the floodgates. Then came the moment that felt scripted. A group of Pittsburgh fans had been riding Ohtani all inning, shouting “Shohei sucks!” and “Overrated!” as he stepped into the box. He responded the only way he knows how. Ohtani lined a run-scoring double to left, and PNC Park went quiet in a hurry.
Then Andy Pages connected on a towering two-run homer to cap a three-run sequence and make it 6-2. The Pirates burned through relievers trying to stop the bleeding. They could not.
Freeman walked, Betts singled, and Muncy drew another to load the bases. From there it was a conveyor belt of damage. A Tucker fielder’s choice, a Lowe throwing error, a Ward single, back-to-back walks to Freeland and Ohtani, each one pushing another run across. Pages added a sac fly. Freeman capped it with a sharp single to center.
That final hit was the signature moment of the night. It was Freddie Freeman’s 2,500th career hit, making him the first player to reach that milestone since 2019. In the middle of an 11-run rally, in a road ballpark, the milestone landed quietly but it will not be forgotten.
Ten runs. Ten. The Dodgers batted around and then some, and by the time Will Klein retired the side in the bottom half, the score read 12-2. The rain that had been falling through the sixth may have changed the pitching matchup, but it didn’t slow anything down.
Muncy, Pages Anchor the Offense
Max Muncy put together one of his cleaner nights of the season, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI. His bat has been one of the more reliable presences in the middle of the lineup lately and Tuesday was another example of why. He reached base four times.
Andy Pages was quieter in the box through five innings, then changed the game with one swing. His 15th home run of the year capped a three-run sequence in the seventh that turned a tight game into a laugher. He also scored twice and drove in three total. Freeland, quietly, was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. The bottom of the lineup hurt Pittsburgh as much as anyone at the top.
Bullpen Closes the Door
After Lauer exited in the sixth with the rain intensifying, Will Klein took over and was immaculate. The right-hander worked 1.1 innings, struck out three and did not allow a single baserunner. He picked up the win, improving to 2-2 with an ERA that has settled in nicely at 2.33. Blake Treinen handled the eighth with three strikeouts, and Tanner Scott pitched the ninth, allowing a cosmetic run on a Marcell Ozuna single but nothing that threatened the outcome.
For a bullpen that took damage last Sunday in the Angels blowout, Tuesday felt like a reset.
Up Next
Game 2 of the Pittsburgh series is Wednesday at PNC Park. Shohei Ohtani takes the mound against Pirates right-hander Jared Jones. First pitch is 3:40 p.m. PT.
