Pittsburgh Pirates Start Series vs Dodgers With Wild Extra Innings Loss

On Monday night the Pittsburgh Pirates started their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a loss

The Pittsburgh Pirates started a four-game series with the best team in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on Monday night. The Dodgers entered this game with an astounding 87-35 record. On Monday night, the Dodgers defeated the Pirates by a score of 6-5 in 12 innings to improve to 88-35 on the season.

With the loss, the Pittsburgh Pirates are now 60-65 this season. This was a game the Pirates led until the top of the 7th inning when very poor management by Clint Hurdle led to Gerrit Cole‘s night coming unglued and the Pirates’ lead slipping away. Even though the Pirates would fight back to force extra innings, the 7th inning debacle was still the biggest reason they lost on Monday night.

After Gerrit Cole retired the Dodgers in order in the top of the 1st inning, he ran into trouble in the 2nd inning.

Yasmani Grandal doubled to start the inning, Yasiel Puig walked, and Adrian Gonzalez singled. This loaded the bases with just one out. However, Cole then struck out Chase Utley and for Alex Wood to groundout to end the inning.

Jose Osuna hit a home run to lead off the bottom of the 2nd inning. This gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Sean Rodriguez followed this with a solo shot of his own to make it 2-0 Pirates.

With one out in the bottom of the 3rd inning the home run parade continue. Josh Harrison hit a solo home run, his 15th of the season made it 3-0 Pirates.

Alex Wood had only allowed seven home runs all season entering this game and there was only one other game all season he had allowed multiple home runs in.

Just as they did in the top of the 2nd inning, the Dodgers threatened against Gerrit Cole. Just as Cole did in the top of the 2nd, he worked out trouble unscathed.

With one out, Justin Turner was hit by a pitch and Curtis Granderson singled. Then with two outs, Yasiel Puig would reach on a David Freese error. Cole then got Adrian Gonzalez to fly out to center field to end the inning.

The bottom of the 6th inning would be Alex Wood’s last. He allowed the three solo home runs, a pair of singles, and did not issue a walk.

Chase Utley blooped a single into right field to start the top of the 7th inning and then Logan Forsythe drew a walk. Chris Taylor then ripped a ground ball that seemed ticketed for center field. However, Jordy Mercer made an excellent diving stop to retire Forsythe at second base while saving a run.

Corey Seager then ripped a two-strike pitch into right field for a RBI single, cutting the Pirate lead to 3-1. Justin Turner then ripped a single to left field to load the bases with just one out.

For whatever reason, Clint Hurdle continues to stick with Cole even though it was obvious he had nothing left and Felipe Rivero should have been brought in with the bases loaded and the middle of the Dodger order up. Hell, any reliever not named Daniel Hudson or Joaquin Benoit would have been a better option than Cole at this point of the game. Instead, Cole remained in the game and he allowed a grand slam to Curtis Granderson to make it 5-3 Dodgers.

Gerrit Cole pitched brilliantly on Monday night, but, due to an awful job of managing by Clint Hurdle, his stat line looked bad. In 6 1/3 innings of work Cole allowed 5 runs, on 8 hits, and 7 strikeouts.

A.J. Schugel would replace Cole following Granderson’s grand slam. He would get the final two outs of the inning, to send the game to the 7th inning stretch with the Dodgers ahead 5-3.

After Josh Fields retired the Pirates in order in the bottom of the 7th inning, Daniel Hudson did the same to the Dodgers in the top of the 8th inning. Hudson also recorded a strikeout to end his 1-2-3 inning.

Ex-Pirate Tony Watson took over for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 8th inning and he hit pinch-hitter Adam Frazier with a pitch. He then struck out Starling Marte before being removed from the game for Pedro Baez.

Josh Harrison would rip a RBI double down the left field line off of Baez to score Frazier and cut the Dodger lead to 5-4. Baez then walked Andrew McCutchen to put two men on with one out for David Freese. Freese would then put together an excellent at-bat to draw a walk and load the bases with one out.

Josh Bell was then called upon to pinch-hit for Jose Osuna. After a fantastic 10 pitch at-bat, Bell would reach on a fielder’s choice to score Harrison and tie the game at 5. John Jaso then pinch-hit for Sean Rodriguez and drew a walk to reload the bases, bringing Baez’s night to an end.

Brandon Morrow entered the game for the Dodgers with the bases loaded, two outs, and Jordy Mercer at the plate for the Pirates. Morrow would get Mercer to fly out to center field to end the inning and keeping the game tied at 5.

In the top of the 9th inning Clint Hurdled called upon Juan Nicasio to pitch. Nicasio would retire the Dodgers in order on less than 10 pitches. This including striking out Curtis Granderson to end the inning.

Brandon Morrow remained in the game for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 9th inning. Elias Diaz singled to start the inning, and then Morrow struck out Adam Frazier. Morrow then got Starling Marte to pop out to first base and then Josh Harrison fouled out to catcher Yasmany Grandal in foul territory to end the inning.

In the top of the 10th inning Joaquin Benoit entered the game for the Pirates. Miraculously, he

managed to post a zero.

To start the inning, Benoit walked Yasmany Grandal. Benoit would then issue a one-out walk to

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Adrian Gonzalez. Then with two outs, the walk parade continued as Benoit would walk pinch-hitter Austin Barnes to load the bases for Chris Taylor. Benoit would get Taylor to fly out to left field to keep the game tied at 5.

In the bottom of the 10th inning Dave Roberts and the Dodgers turned to one of the best relievers in baseball in Kenley Jansen. Josh Bell would record a two-out single off of Jansen, but he retired the other three hitters he faced to send the game to a 11th inning.

Despite throwing 25 pitches, and just 11 for strikes, in the top of the 10th Benoit returned for the top of the 11th inning. After retiring the first two hitters of the inning quickly, Benoit would issue his fourth walk of the night by walking Curtis Granderson. He would then retire Yasmany Grandal to end the inning.

Despite issuing four walks and throwing just 21 of 38 pitches for strikes, Joaquin Benoit managed to give the Pirates two scoreless innings on Monday night. A tip of the cap to Joaquin for his outings on Monday.

Luis Avilan was the new Dodger pitcher in the bottom of the 11th inning. Avilan would retire the first two hitters of the inning before allowing a single to Adam Frazier. Starling Marte then lined out to Yasiel Puig to end the inning.

When the game rolled into the top of the 12th inning Dovydas Neverauskas was the Pirates’ new pitcher. Yasiel Puig would rudely greet Neverauskas with a home run to lead off the inning to give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead.

With the Pirates out of position players, starting pitcher Chad Kuhl (#FreeTheDH) pinch-hit against new Dodger pitcher Ross Stripling to start the bottom of the 12th inning.

After retiring Kuhl to start the inning, Stripling allowed a base hit to Andrew McCutchen. After McCutchen moved to third base on a David Freese groundout and Josh Bell was intentionally walked, the game fell into the hands of Max Moroff who had entered the game earlier as part of double switch due to the Pirate bullpen being short. Moroff would fly out to right field to end the game.

Next: Brandon Cumpton Promoted to AAA

Tuesday night’s loss was a frustrating one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was a game the Pirates led most of the way before Clint Hurdle’s baffling decision to leave Gerrit Cole in so long in the 7th inning led to that lead being squandered away.

The Bucs then battled back to tie the game against the best bullpen in the National and force extra innings. Unfortunately, the Bucs would come up short in the 12th inning leading to their 65th loss of the season.

The second game of this four-game series is scheduled for 7:05 on Tuesday night. Jameson Taillon is scheduled to for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers is still listed as to be announced.