The game was tied through six innings. Then the seventh happened, and everything changed for Los Angeles.
The Dodgers exploded for 10 runs in the seventh inning, turning a 2-2 deadlock into a 12-3 rout of Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Andy Pages drove in three runs with a two-run homer, going 1-for-5 on the night. The outburst began when Dalton Rushing scored on a pickoff error by catcher Henry Davis, then escalated quickly with Shohei Ohtani's RBI double and Pages' 410-foot blast to left field.
The inning continued with a parade of runs. Kyle Tucker scored Freeman on a fielder's choice that resulted in a throwing error by second baseman Brandon Lowe. Taylor Ward singled Freeman home, Alex Freeland walked in a run, Ohtani drew a bases-loaded walk, and Pages added a sacrifice fly before Freeman capped the rally with an RBI single to center.
Paul Skenes had kept Pittsburgh in the game through six innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits with 7 strikeouts. But reliever Wilber Dotel faced disaster in the seventh, recording no outs while allowing 5 hits and 6 runs in his first loss of the season. Will Klein earned the win for Los Angeles with 1.1 scoreless innings.
Pittsburgh had taken an early 2-0 lead on solo homers by Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O'Hearn in the first inning. Reynolds finished 2-for-4 with 2 runs scored. Freddie Freeman reached 2,500 career hits in this game, going 2-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI. Los Angeles snapped a one-game losing streak to improve to 42-24, while Pittsburgh fell to 34-32 with its third straight loss.