Dodgers erupt in win vs Pirates as Skenes exits

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, June 11 ------ Andy Pages hit a two-run homer and added a sacrifice fly during a seventh-inning outburst against Pittsburgh’s bullpen as the Dodgers quickly pulled away once Pirates ace Paul Skenes exited in a 12-3 win.

Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, allowed two runs and struck out seven in six innings. He retired Los Angeles star Shohei Ohtani all three times he faced the four-time Most Valuable Player, getting Ohtani to ground out twice and fanning him once in his best start in nearly a month.

When Skenes left, the Dodgers pounced. Dalton Rushing led off the seventh with a single off Wilber Dotel (1-0), advanced to third on a single through the hole by Alan Freeland and scored the go-ahead run when Pirates catcher Henry Davis’ attempt to pick Rushing off third hit the Dodger catcher instead and rolled away. Things only got better for Los Angeles. Ohtani followed with an RBI-double and Pages hit his fourth home run in 12 career games against the Pirates to make it 6-2. A throwing error by Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe, a couple of bases-loaded walks and Freddie Freeman’s 2,500th career hit — a sharp RBI-single to center — highlighted the rest of Los Angeles’ biggest inning since an 11-run outburst against St. Louis on June 2, 2021.

Will Klein (2-2) picked up the win in relief of starter Eric Laurer, who allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings. Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn hit back-to-back homers in the first to give Pittsburgh some early momentum. Pittsburgh managed just three hits the rest of the way to drop its fourth straight game and fall back to just one game over.500 at 34-33.

Skenes is now 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA over his last five starts. The series continues on Wednesday, when Ohtani (6-2, 0.74 ERA) goes for his fifth straight victory on the mound. The two-way superstar has allowed just one run over his last four starts. Jared Jones (1-0, 4.82) starts for Pittsburgh.

In Las Vegas, the first pitch to an Athletics player Monday in Las Vegas was an explosive welcome. Shea Langeliers sent a shot 483 feet in the first sign of the madness to come in a 15-14, 12-inning game that introduced the city to its eventual MLB club. The Milwaukee Brewers were the winners, but so, too, were the fans. “It’s the most bizarre game I’ve ever had in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 11 years,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I never saw anything like it. So many things happened. There were 16 challenges in the game. Sixteen challenges in the game. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Oh, yes, the challenges.

Source: manilatimes.net