The Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a three-game sweep by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 on Thursday night. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez all hit home runs to lead the Dodgers to victory.
Freeman started the scoring with a three-run homer in the first inning, his eighth of the season. Betts added a three-run shot in the fifth inning as part of a six-run outburst. Despite a quiet night from Shohei Ohtani, who went 1 for 6, the Dodgers were able to generate enough offense to secure the win.
Hernandez’s go-ahead home run in the fifth inning off Bailey Falter proved to be the difference-maker. Miguel Rojas also contributed with three hits and two RBIs for the Dodgers.
On the pitching side, Michael Grove picked up the win with two scoreless innings in relief of Walker Buehler, who struggled through three innings in his return from Tommy John surgery.
The Pirates got contributions from Nick Gonzales and Ke’Bryan Hayes, who both had multi-hit games. However, Pittsburgh’s defense faltered with three errors, allowing the Dodgers to capitalize on their mistakes.
The Dodgers will now head to New York for a three-game series against the Yankees, while the Pirates will host the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park. It was a much-needed win for the Dodgers as they look to build momentum heading into the weekend series.