PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers got exactly what they needed out of Justin Wrobleski on Thursday. They also got the only version of this team that makes road trips feel manageable: an early lead built on Shohei Ohtani, timely hits from supporting cast members, and just enough bullpen composure to survive a late Pittsburgh scare. Los Angeles took the series finale at PNC Park, 8-6, salvaging the trip after dropping Game 1 on Tuesday.
Ohtani Puts the Dodgers on His Back Early
Ohtani opened the scoring in the third inning with his 13th home run of the season, a line drive to right center that gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead and reminded Pittsburgh what they were dealing with. The damage did not stop there. A Kyle Tucker single with two outs brought home two more runs to make it 3-0, and in the fourth the Dodgers kept piling on. A Freddie Freeman single, a wild pitch from Mitch Keller, and a bases-loaded walk to Max Muncy pushed the lead to 5-0 before Keller could get out of the inning. Ohtani scored twice, reached base on a walk and a single, and left the game with two runs and an RBI in two at-bats before being lifted in the seventh for left knee inflammation. The team will monitor him heading into Chicago.
Wrobleski Does Enough, Bullpen Gets Tested
Wrobleski lasted 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts before Will Klein came on to stop the bleeding in the fifth. Pittsburgh actually turned a clean 5-0 game into a 5-4 nail-biter in the bottom of the fifth, when Rafael Flores Jr. went deep for his first career homer and Brandon Lowe followed two batters later with a two-run shot that made it a one-run game in a hurry. The bullpen had to find its footing fast. Klein handled the sixth cleanly. Alex Vesia got a big strikeout to end the sixth with runners on. Jack Dreyer got through a clean seventh. The credit for finishing it belongs to Tanner Scott, who picked up his seventh save of the season with 1.1 scoreless innings, stranding two runners in the eighth after Edgardo Henriquez let two more Pittsburgh runs in to make it 8-6.
The Seventh Inning Depth Chart Gets a Workout
With Ohtani out of the game, Dave Roberts went to his bench and the reinforcements delivered. Dalton Rushing doubled in the seventh to score Alex Call, who had walked in his pinch-hit appearance. A wild pitch scored another run. Santiago Espinal, in as the DH replacement for Ohtani, singled to center to extend the threat. By the end of the frame, Los Angeles had pushed its lead to 7-4 and had enough cushion to withstand what Pittsburgh threw at it in the eighth. Miguel Rojas capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-4, and though the Pirates got two more runs back on a triple from Tyler Callihan and a pair of doubles, Scott shut the door before it became a real conversation.
Up Next
The Dodgers head to Chicago on Friday to open a three-game series against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Roki Sasaki takes the mound against Anthony Kay with first pitch scheduled for 4:40 p.m. PT. The bigger storyline heading into the weekend is Ohtani’s left knee. No timetable has been set, and the team will evaluate further before making any decisions.
