The Pirates got their second straight 4-1 win over the Dodgers. The win gave them two of three in each of the first two series of their ten-game, West Coast trip.
This game was much more in doubt than yesterday’s, as Dodgers’ starter Jerry Reuss kept the Pirates off the board through the first seven innings. The Bucs never had more than one runner on base until the sixth, when they stranded a pair.
Fortunately, Bert Blyleven was holding Los Angeles down. The Dodgers got a run in the bottom of the third on a two-out longball by Steve Garvey. They threatened in the fifth, when they had runners on the corners with one out. Blyleven, who had eight strikeouts in the game, responded by fanning Garvey and Ron Cey.
The Pirates finally broke through in the eighth. Steve Nicosia doubled with one out. Pinch runner Matt Alexander then scored on a single by Willie Stargell, who batted for Blyleven. After a walk to Omar Moreno, Phil Garner doubled to score Ed Ott, Pops’ pinch runner, and Moreno. That finished Reuss, but Ken Brett gave up a single to Bill Robinson that scored Garner, making it 4-1.
Chuck Tanner went with Enrique Romo in the bottom half, but he got into trouble with a one-out double and walk. Kent Tekulve relieved and got a strikeout and ground out to end the threat. Teke then closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Blyleven picked up the win to improve to 11-4. Teke got his 24th save.
The Pirates are off tomorrow as they head to San Francisco to finish their trip with four games against the Giants.
