PITTSBURGH — On Monday, the Pirates played one of their best games of the young season, pitching a gem in a 5-1 win over the perennial powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers performed about how most would have expected them to against the Pirates, dominating in an 11-1 win to set up a rubber match in the series finale Wednesday.
It didn’t take long for the direction of Tuesday’s game to become clear. Right-hander Bryse Wilson, making his return to the rotation after two straight scoreless relief appearances, allowed three doubles in the first inning, scoring two Dodgers’ runs.
The Pirates threatened to respond in the bottom of the inning, putting runners on second and third with nobody out after left fielder Ben Gamel walked and center fielder Bryan Reynolds doubled. Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes then flew out to Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts. Gamel tried to score, and for the second game in a row, Betts recorded an outfield assist, gunning Gamel down at the plate. The Pirates went on to record just two more hits the rest of the game, while the Dodgers continued to pile up run after run.
Pittsburgh Pirates' Cole Tucker tosses his bat after striking out during the third inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in Detroit.
Wilson’s move back to the rotation appeared inevitable, though in hindsight that move didn’t work out in this game. In his last two appearances, Wilson followed left-hander Dillon Peters, entering in the middle innings out of the bullpen and combining to toss 7 2/3 innings with no earned runs. That move was made because Wilson had struggled in a starting role to start the season. Coming out of the bullpen, there was less to think about. It was an effort to change Wilson’s mindset and get him back on track.
It worked in that role, but the Pirates clearly view Wilson as a starting pitcher, and though the stint as a reliever could have been extended, it wasn’t. Unfortunately for him, that return to the rotation coincided with this visit from the Dodgers, and they showed no mercy.
After the three-double, two-run first inning, they hopped all over Wilson in the third, too. Trea Turner singled, Max Muncy walked, Justin Turner drove them both in with a double. Edwin Rios singled two batters later to put runners on the corners, and Wilson was pulled there. Turner and Rios both came around to score, saddling Wilson with an ugly, six-earned-run night in just 2 2/3 innings.
While Wilson may shoulder the load for taking the most damage, the Dodgers weren’t finished after he left. In the seventh, with right-hander Beau Sulser on the mound, Los Angeles found their extra-base stroke. Muncy tripled, Turner doubled, Cody Bellinger doubled after him and Rios drove in two more with a homer to right field.
In total, the Dodgers shelled the Pirates for 15 hits. Eight of them were doubles, matching the franchise record for most doubles in a game since they moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
It wasn’t until the Pirates’ half of the eighth inning that they answered back. Even then, it was only a mini rally, with Michael Chavis doubling to lead it off before two straight walks to Hayes and Daniel Vogelbach loaded the bases. First baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo beat out a double-play ball to score the Pirates’ lone run of the game, a meager moral victory in a loss that otherwise brought the Pirates crashing back down to reality against the dominant Dodgers.
