Dodgers Team News

Dodgers Highlights: Pirates Dominate LA to End Winning Streak, Tony Gonsolin Has Decent Return, Bullpen Struggles Mightily

The inconsistent Dodgers made their return on Wednesday. After winning three straight games, including the series opener against the Pirates that saw them come back from a 7-2 deficit, the Dodgers bats went silent, as they were dominated by the Pirates and lost in embarrassing 8-1 fashion. The Dodgers mustered just one run on four hits, while allowing the Pirates to score eight runs on 12 hits.

Return of the Cat-Man

Tony Gonsolin made his long-awaited return to the mound, and was overall pretty solid. He threw 65 pitches, but lasted just 3.1 innings. He only allowed five base runners and didn’t allow a run. However, he struck out just one batter.



With Gonsolin getting rushed back after one rehab start, you can’t ask for much more. Obviously, the Dodgers would have loved to get four innings out of him, but the zero is all that matters — and that’s what he gave them.

The problem is, the Dodgers needed to get another 17 outs from their bullpen — and those were not easy to come by.

More Bullpen Woes

Phil Bickford came on in relief for Gonsolin, and helped the Dodgers get out of a jam in the 4th. However, he got the 5th inning, too, and gave up two runs before being replaced by Justin Bruihl — this is going to be a common theme, by the way.

Bruihl got the Dodgers out of Bickford’s jam in the 5th but, like Bickford, came back out in the 6th, and got into trouble. He allowed a run, before being replaced by Yency Almonte. Almonte then got the Dodgers out of the jam with an inning-ending double play to keep the score at 3-0 Pirates.

However, Almonte got the 7th inning, and fell into the exact same trap of the two previous relievers. Almonte ended up loading the bases, and giving up a two-run single with two outs. That’s when he was replaced by Alex Vesia, who appeared to get out of the inning with an out at home — however, catcher Austin Wynns was blocking the plate on the throw home, so the Pirates got another run. Then, Vesia gave up a two-run double, extending the Pirates lead to 8-0.

Vesia pitched a shutdown 8th inning, which was the last inning the Dodgers needed to pitch. However, Drew Maggi made his long-awaited MLB debut, much to the delight of the fans at PNC Park. He struck out, but still got to enjoy a moment he’ll never forget. Congrats on making it to the big leagues, Drew!

Freddie Ends the Shutout

The Dodgers were looking well on their way to being shut out. However, Freddie Freeman had other plans, as he clubbed a solo home run to deep right center field in the top of the 8th inning. His home run was 108.3 mph off the bat, and went 424 feet.

What’s Next?

The Dodgers and Pirates play the rubber match of the three-game series on Thursday, with an early start time of 9:35 a.m. PST. They’ll hope to get the win, and head back to Los Angeles with a happy flight.

Julio Urias is getting the ball for the Dodgers, coming off his worst start of the season against the Cubs. He’ll hope to bounce back and help the Dodgers get the win before flying home. Don’t forget to set your alarms for some early Thursday baseball!

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Noah Camras

Noah is an Editor for Dodgers Nation. He graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Sports Media Studies. He's been a Dodger fan his whole life, and his all-time favorite Dodgers are Matt Kemp and Russell Martin.

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