PITTSBURGH _ Standing at second base, 2,400 miles away from the ballpark he calls home, Adrian Gonzalez doffed his batting helmet. A modest crowd at PNC Park rose to salute his achievement, the 2,000th hit of his career, a double roped down the first-base line in the sixth inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 8-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Gonzalez would come around to score the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Corey Seager as the Dodgers (89-35) conducted a night-long battering of the Pittsburgh pitching staff. The team overcame a third-inning combustion by spot starter Brock Stewart.
Gonzalez has made hard contact on a nightly basis since returning from the disabled list last Friday. He walked in the second inning and scored on a two-run single by Chris Taylor, who tallied three hits and three RBI. Yasmani Grandal added some insurance with a two-run homer in the seventh.
Handed a four-run lead by his teammates, who bullied Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon, Stewart capsized in the third. A well-place groundball from Taillon led to a leadoff single. Pirates outfielder Starling Marte hammered a 91-mph fastball into the left-field seats to cut the advantage in half. From there, Stewart's command disappeared.
He walked the next batter he faced, second baseman Adam Frazier. After a single by outfielder Andrew McCutchen, first baseman Josh Bell walked to load the bases. Manager Dave Roberts left the dugout to fetch his pitcher.
Into the breach stepped Josh Ravin, who had been called up before the game as Cody Bellinger went to the disabled list. His fourth pitch was smacked by Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison for a two-run, game-tying single. An RBI groundout by John Jaso tied the score.
The Dodgers did not trail for long. With runners at second and third in the fourth inning, Taylor ripped a grounder down the third-base line. Harrison could not handle it, and Taylor received credit for an RBI single. Two innings later, Seager drove in Gonzalez.
The bullpen made the lead hold up. Ravin finished with two scoreless innings. Tony Watson secured three outs. Tony Cingrani picked up six. After Josh Fields pitched the eighth, Kenley Jansen recorded his 34th save.
