Martinez and Peralta homer back-to-back, helping Dodgers rally to beat Pirates 6-4
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — J.D. Martinez and David Peralta homered back-to-back in the fifth inning, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers rally from a four-run deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 on Wednesday night.
Martinez connected on an 0-2 pitch from reliever Roansy Contreras (3-7) for his 20th homer, a go-ahead, three-run shot to left-center that scored Will Smith and Max Muncy, who drew consecutive walks.
“Will and Munce had really good at-bats and found a way to get on,” Martinez said. “I feel like I’ve been kind of unlucky lately, just missing balls at the fence.”
Peralta followed with a 406-foot solo shot to the lower right-field seats for a 6-4 lead.
Contreras and Pirates starter Osvaldo Bido combined on four walks over the fourth and fifth. Both were called for pitch-clock violations: Bido in the second and Contreras in the fifth.
The Dodgers’ struggling bullpen turned back two bases-loaded jams over the final three innings.
“It’s big,” Martinez said. “We need those guys. That’s one of the huge pieces for us to be able to lock up huge situations for us.”
Pittsburgh threatened in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs against Daniel Hudson. Pinch-hitter Connor Joe opened with a ground-rule double, then Hudson walked Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds back-to-back. Henry Davis struck out and Carlos Santana flied out before Jack Suwinski struck out swinging to end the game.
Hudson earned his first save in 13 months. He returned to the team last week after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament on June 24, 2022, against Atlanta.
“It’s just good to have him back and stabilize us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It certainly adds another leverage guy.”
Leading 6-4, the Dodgers eked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. Jared Triolo singled off Phil Bickford, who then walked Austin Hedges and McCutchen. Ryan Brasier came in, and backed by solid defense, got three straight outs to end the inning. Reynolds lined out to short on a stellar catch by Miguel Rojas, Davis lined into Mookie Betts’ glove at second and Santana popped out to third.
The Dodgers got on the board with two runs in the fourth. Jason Heyward had a bases-loaded sacrifice fly that scored Muncy, who walked, and Rojas added a RBI single.
Reynolds had a solo homer off Dodgers starter Bobby Miller (5-1) in the first. The Pirates extended the lead to 4-0 on Suwinski’s three-run blast in the fourth.
“It was a bad slider,” Miller said of Suwinski’s home-run pitch. “But I dialed it right back in. I wanted to go as far as I could in this game. Just giving the team a chance to win is the biggest deal.”
Miller allowed four runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked one.
“I don’t know where we would have been if he couldn’t get six (innings),” Roberts said.
Bido gave up two runs and two hits in four innings. He struck out four and walked four.
GRATEROL’S STATUS
Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol has been unavailable the last two games because of an unspecified arm issue, Roberts said. If he cannot pitch Thursday, Roberts said a decision will be made about him going on the injured list.
MAKING MOVES
The Pirates recalled RHP Yohan Ramirez from Triple-A Indianapolis and sent down RHP Luis Ortiz, who allowed 10 runs over eight innings in his last two starts.
The Dodgers recalled LHP Bryan Hudson from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned RHP Gavin Stone. Hudson is back for his second stint with LA, having given up three runs in two innings with two strikeouts his first time. He’s 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 29 games at OKC this season.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Johan Oviedo (3-9, 4.61 ERA) has lost each of his last six decisions since winning for the first time on May 19 against Arizona.
Dodgers: LHP Julio Urías (5-5, 4.94) is 3-3 with a 4.17 ERA with 35 strikeouts in eight career games (five starts) against the Pirates.
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