Musgrove falls apart (again) in 7-2 loss to Dodgers

After the start of the game was delayed an hour and forty five minutes by rain, the Dodgers belted out thirteen hits, seven of them doubles, in a 7-2 victory at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, backing Hyun-jin Ryu as he ran his record to 7-1.

The Dodgers jumped out to an early first inning lead as Joc Pederson led off the game with a double and one out later scored on Corey Seager’s ground single to right.

The Pirates came back and took the lead with a pair in the second as they broke Ryu’s scoreless streak at 32 innings. Josh Bell led off with a double roped off the wall in center field at 112 mph and only 11 degrees off the ground and scored when catcher Russell martin’s throw to third on Melky Cabrera’s tapper in front of the plate skipped down the left field line for a fielder’s choice and a throwing error. Francisco Cervelli and Cole Tucker followed with singles to give the Pirates the lead and making both of the runs earned against Ryu.

Musgrove gave up a hit in the second, but then allowed the Dodgers to tie the score on a Max Muncy double and Cody Bellinger single in the third. Musgrove had easily retired the first two batters in the fourth but the wheels fell of when Chris Taylor then fouled off five straight pitches, extending his at bat to ten pitches, resulting in a line single to left. Musgrove fell behind the pitcher Ryu 3-1, who then on the 3-2 pitched line a double off the wall in right center to score Taylor and give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.

The Pirates had a chance to go ahead in the bottom of that fourth inning when Kevin Newman beat out a slow grounder and Elias Diaz roped a double to left center, putting runners on second and third with no outs. Cole Tucker lifted a fly to medium right center, but Newman held at third as center fielder Verdugo’s throw came home on one hop. Musgrove was allowed to bat for himself and lined the second pitch to right, but Cody Bellinger came on for the catch and he also fired a strike to home, holding Newman at third, where he stayed as Adam Frazier ended the inning with a liner caught in left center.

In the fifth, Musgrove was throwing batting practice as the extended plate appearances the inning before appeared to have taken their toll. Muncy lined the first pitch for a double off the right field wall. Seager lined the second pitch to him for a double to center and Bellinger lined the first pitch he saw for a double down the right field line. Ray Searage came out for a mound visit and Musgrove managed to get the nest three batters, but the second of those outs was Martin’s sacrifice fly which put the Dodgers lead at 6-2.

Rookie Davis took the mound in the seventh, making his Pirates debut, and pitched credibly for a guy with a 5+ ERA in Triple-A, allowing just one run in three innings.

The Pirates’ offense mounted no threats against the Dodgers bullpen, managing just one base runner in three innings.

Somehow, this team with a -55 run differential still manages to have a winning record, as they stand 25-24 after the loss, 4.5 games back of the first place Cubs and 2 games back of the second wild card spot.

The series ends Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. Eastern as the Dodgers’ right-hander Kenta Maeda (5-2, 3.51) is scheduled to face the Pirates’ struggling Chris Archer (1-4, 5.55)