Dodgers Pour It on Pirates as Freeman Gets 2,500th Hit

dodgers-pour-it-on-pirates-as-freeman-gets-2500th-hit/2026/06/09/" rel="nofollow">The Los Angeles Dodgers rolled over the Pittsburgh Pirates, beating them 12-2 on Tuesday, June 9th, in the series opener.

The Dodgers piled on 15 hits and 12 runs, with a lot of the damage coming in the seventh inning. The game was tied 2-2 heading into the top of the seventh inning, then the floodgates opened for the Pirates.

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Their bullpen ended up coughing up a ton of walks and hits once Paul Skenes left the game. He had a strong start with two runs given up and seven strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 2.84.

However, Wilber Dotel and Brandan Bidois, two relievers for the Pirates, gave up seven earned runs and 10 runs total between them, costing the team a game that was quite winnable in the end.

Freddie Freeman ended up getting his 2,500th hit during the game, once the game was in hand. It did not ruin the moment for Freeman at all, who is ever closer to 3,000 hits, a milestone that he really wants to reach.

Despite a lackluster fastball and poor stuff on the whole, Eric Lauer continues to get it done, going 5.2 innings and allowing just two runs, both of which came from home runs.

He got five strikeouts, an impressive total as the Pirates were quite swing-happy all day. Other than two errant pitches, he only allowed one more hit and no walks.

Lauer is the sixth starter on the team, and with so many injuries hitting the team, he was traded for and called upon to just provide innings and keep the team in games.

The lefty has done that thus far, giving himself a longer leash as a major league player with the Dodgers. He will eventually move into the bullpen as the team gets healthier, and he has earned the trust of manager Dave Roberts, which can pay off during the season.