Gregory Polanco then tried twice to bunt the runners into scoring position before accomplishing the same thing with a swinging-bunt dribbler to first base.
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Thanks to another fine performance by Zack Greinke and some clutch hitting, the Dodgers are now 1-3 against the Pirates after defeating them 6-2 before 49,529. The 27-year-old native of Chicago has not lost since July 5, going 2-0 while allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last six outings. It was Polanco who ended Kershaw’s night Saturday. Kershaw was replaced by Chris Hatcher, who allowed Polanco to score on a booming double to left-center field by Aramis Ramirez. Tony Watson came in in the eighth, and after getting Jimmy Rollins to pop up, he was aided on a tremendous running catch by Daddy Longlegs in right field on Ruggiano’s deep fly.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Saturday, September 19, 2015. But the Pirates regained the lead in the eighth.
“It’s pretty special”, Melancon said after helping snap a four-game losing streak. “I saw all his pitches”.
Manager Clint Hurdle crowed, “That catch in right field?”
“That’s prime time stuff there”, Hurdle said.
Since you can find a opportunity the Dodgers could play Pittsburgh Pirates among the event, it could implore the Dodgers to point out they will be able to topped these guys prior to postseason surfaces.
Kershaw was charged with three runs and seven hits in seven-plus innings. Ruggiano has hit safely in nine of 10 games. His soft contact, strikeout and swing-and-miss rates rival those of Chris Sale and Kershaw.
The only run Greinke gave up while he was in the game was a first-pitch homer by Neil Walker, who leads all NL second basemen with 14 home runs, 47 extra-base hits and 62 RBIs. Liriano did not walk a batter until Corey Seager followed by reaching fist.
Liriano (11-7) took a 2-1 lead into the seventh before the Dodgers tied it on an RBI double by A.J.
Sunday, the Pirates will give Gerrit Cole [16-8 2.60 ERA] the ball against Mike Bolsinger [6-3 3.13 ERA].
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A person with direct knowledge of the situation says Pirates rookie Jung Ho Kang has a broken leg and torn ligament in his left knee that will sideline the shortstop for the rest of the season.
Liriano does nearly everything one would want an ace to do. He struck out eight, raising his major league-leading total to 272 with three starts left in the regular season. He gets an above-average amount of groundballs. His ERA rose from 2.12 to 2.18.
Liriano also is 4-0 with a 2.73 ERA in five career starts against the Dodgers.
No matter. Liriano struck out nine batters.
“It’s just one of those days you feel stronger”, said Liriano, whose fastball touched 95 miles per hour . I made a couple of mechanical changes two years ago with (pitching coach Rick) Honeycutt and it’s kind of gotten better the longer I’ve done it. Then, a couple of pitches have gotten better and more consistent.
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Kershaw was characteristically stingy thereafter, holding the Pirates to two runs with the aid of two pickoffs-Mercer in the fifth and Harrison in the sixth.
