Nine-Run Seventh Inning Dooms Dodgers En Route To Sweep

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After the Dodgers went down in order in the sixth Juan Nicasio took over for Wood. After striking out Cervelli to begin the inning, he gave up a triple to Neil Walker that just missed clearing the center field wall by inches. Nicasio then got a strikeout before walking Gregory Polanco and hitting Marte with a pitch to load the bases for McCutchen with two outs. Nicasio was able to escape though, as McCutchen swung at the first pitch and grounded out to third to end the inning.

With two outs in the top of the seventh Carl Crawford singled to left and then stole second. Callaspo followed with a walk but Joc Pederson grounded out to second to end the threat.

Jim Johnson took over for the Dodgers in the bottom of the seventh and hit Jung Ho Kang with one out. Pedro Alvarez followed with a single to right, and Yasiel Puig missed his cutoff man so Alvarez was able to advance to second. Johnson, who has struggled since being traded to the Dodgers, then gave up a single to Cervelli that scored Kang. The Pirates continued to hit well in the clutch, as a sac fly by Walker, infield single by Marte, two-run single by McCutchen and RBI single by Aramis Ramirez marked the end of Johnson’s day. Joel Peralta came in with two on and two outs and gave up a three-run homer to Kang, which capped off a nine-run seventh for the Pirates to give them a 12-5 lead.

Puig attempted to get the Dodgers back in the game as he hit an infield single to lead off the eighth, but he was quickly erased on a 4-6-3 double play ball off the bat of Rollins. Hernandez followed the double play ball with a homer to center, but it was just a solo homer so the deficit was cut to 12-6.

Peralta allowed a leadoff home run in the bottom half of the eighth to send the game to the ninth with the Dodgers down 13-6.

The Dodgers went down in order to end the game and complete a sweep at the hands of the Pirates.