The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped their second straight game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, falling 11-0 on Tuesday night. The Bucs were dominated by Dodger starter Chad Billingsley, who pitched eight innings of shutout ball. Billingsley was fantastic all evening, working quickly after nearly an hour rain delay and allowing just five hits in his eight innings of work. It looked like he could go the distance but a huge ninth inning rally by his offense kept him on the bench for awhile and made it senseless for him to come back out with 107 pitches already thrown.
Kevin Correia, on the other hand, was knocked around by the Dodgers, who put six runs on the board to give Billingsley a nice cushion. The Dodgers got to Correia the second time through the order, putting together a three-run rally in the top of the fourth. An error by Neil Walker also gave LA an extra out, and they came through to load up the bases. James Loney knocked in the first run of the inning to make it 2-0, bringing home Matt Kemp from third on a ground out to the right side. With runners on second and third, Luis Cruz took a Correia pitch to left center to score Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez.
In his next at-bat, Cruz would drive in Ramirez yet again with another single back up the middle to center. An A.J. Ellis sac fly plated Loney to make it 6-0 and close the books on Bucs' starter. Much like Correia, another shakier Bucs hurler was roughed up later in the game as the Dodgers teed off on Chad Qualls in the top of the ninth to add five more runs and make it a laugher. The inning featured five hits and a throwing error by Qualls, with the Dodgers just one hitter shy of batting around in an interminable final frame.
The best the Bucs can do now is split the four-game set, and they'll try to start that on Wednesday with Wandy Rodriguez on the mound. He'll be opposed by one of the best pitchers in the game, LA ace Clayton Kershaw.
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