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Tuesday, Sep. 5 10:10pm ET
Pirates are 5-0 in September | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates came into Dodger Stadium with the worst record in the majors. They didn't play like it in the first two games of this three-game series. Jose Silva scattered five hits in seven innings and Keith Osik drove in three runs as the Pirates beat Los Angeles 8-0 Tuesday night. Pat Meares went 3-for-4, homering for the second straight game and helping extend Pittsburgh's winning streak to a season-high five games. It's the first time the Pirates have begun September 5-0 since 1992, when they won the NL East title by nine games over Montreal. This time, they are 21½ games off the pace in the NL Central with 25 to play. "We're certainly not going to lay down for anybody," Meares said. "Obviously, we'd like to improve our record and at least get back to the middle of our division. "We had a stint there where we were in last place and had the worst record, but I don't think anybody feels like we're that bad a team. So I think, to a man, we've decided to make a solid effort the last four weeks of the season to try to improve. I guess if there's any consolation to the season, it that we can be spoilers down the stretch." The Dodgers don't have far to go to see themselves mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. They are nine games behind San Francisco in the NL West and 7½ back in the wild-card race. "We've just got to keep plugging away," first baseman Eric Karros said. "There's nothing we can do about the last two games. They're hot right now and we're not playing so well. And the combination of the two is not very good for us. But we've got a game tomorrow and we've got to come ready to play." One night after Jimmy Anderson went the distance for a 12-1 victory in his 26th career start, Silva (9-9) came within six outs of pitching his first complete game in 49 big-league starts. He threw 105 pitches, and Rich Loiselle and Marc Wilkins finished. The Dodgers, blanked for the seventh time this season, got only one runner as far as third. Alex Cora was hit by a pitch with two outs and advanced two bases on a single by pinch-hitter Chris Donnels, but Silva struck out Tom Goodwin. "I think they know I throw a lot of strikes, so I concentrated a little more tonight and kept the ball down. And that helped me out a lot," Silva said. "It's a little easier when you're getting ahead of the hitters." Silva, who fanned five and walked one, is 4-7 with a 6.21 ERA in 15 starts since being inserted into the rotation on June 19. In his five previous career starts against the Dodgers, he was 0-3 with an 11.37 ERA. "He was mixing his pitches up, keeping the leadoff guys of base and had pretty good control," Karros said. "He was also pitching with a lead, and you can pitch differently when you've got a lead." The Pirates scored three runs in the first on consecutive two-out singles against Carlos Perez (5-8) and a throwing error by third baseman Adrian Beltre -- the first of three Dodgers errors. Brian Giles scored from second when Beltre made a barehanded pickup of Enrique Wilson's slow bouncer and threw wildly past first base. Keith Osik drove in the other two runs with a bloop single. Meares, in a 6-for-49 slump before homering his first time up Monday night against Darren Dreifort, homered his first time up against Perez to extend Pittsburgh's lead to 4-0 in the second. It was his 12th of the season, matching the career high he set 1995 with Minnesota. Perez, 1-6 with a 6.43 ERA in his previous 15 starts, gave up six runs -- five earned -- and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. After giving up an RBI double in the fourth by Jason Kendall that put the Dodgers behind 5-0, Perez strained his rotator cuff while throwing his 96th pitch. The crowd of 22,780 cheered as manager Davey Johnson and trainer Stan Johnston went out to check on the injured pitcher, and the cheering grew louder when Perez walked to the dugout. Matt Herges relieved, completed the walk to Giles that was charged to Perez, then gave up an RBI double by Alex Ramirez that made it 6-0. Game notesTodd Hundley will fly to Chicago on Wednesday morning to attend the funeral of his mother, Betty, who died Monday at age 58 after a long bout with cancer. Hundley is expected to rejoin the team Saturday at Colorado. ... Flags were flown at half-staff and a moment of silence was observed in memory of Clyde Sukeforth, who was the oldest living former Dodgers player until his death Sunday at age 98. Fellow catcher Ray Hayworth, 96, is now the oldest living Dodger. ... Los Angeles activated SS Kevin Elster, who had been on the disabled list since Aug. 23 because of a strained left hamstring. ... Wilson was back in the Pirates' lineup at 2B, after missing four games because of a sprained right ankle. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Pittsburgh Clubhouse Los Angeles Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 10 Oakland 3
Pittsburgh 8
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