LOS ANGELES -- There were differences in the plot, but the story arc of each part of the Pirates’ Dodger Stadium trilogy was the same: Jump out to an early lead, lose the lead and lose the game.
It happened again Sunday, as the Bucs dropped the series finale, 7-6, for their eighth consecutive loss.
Melky Cabrera did his best to try to put a stop to the skid, picking up four hits -- including a pair of homers -- and driving in three runs.
“It was a good game for me,” Cabrera said through an interpreter. “However, my greatest desire is for the team to come out with the win, and that’s all I really cared about.”
The last time the Pirates faced Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill, it took them 10 innings to score a run -- and record a hit, for that matter -- off him. On Sunday, Cabrera made both happen during the second at-bat of the game by driving a 2-2 offering over the wall in left-center field for his second home run of the season.
Cabrera wasn’t done doing damage against Hill, who was making his 2019 debut after starting the season on the injured list. The next inning, Cabrera came to bat with a runner on third and sent another one over the fence to cap a four-run rally.
It was the fifth multihomer game of Cabrera’s 15-year career, and his first since July 23, 2015.
Cabrera is hitting .333/.357/.506 through 25 games. And the veteran, who signed with the Bucs as a non-roster invitee before the beginning of Spring Training, isn’t taking any of it for granted.
“One thing that in my life experience and just in my career I’ve learned is that you just have to enjoy this game,” Cabrera said. “You’ve got to find the opportunities and the ways to enjoy this game so that you can have the best successes possible. And I’m just really grateful for the organization and the manager to trust me and provide the opportunity for me to play.”
On Sunday, Cabrera helped jump-start an offense that has been the primary culprit behind the club’s losing streak. Instead, it was pitching and defense that were the problems. Staked to a four-run lead through two innings, starter Trevor Williams couldn't hold it, allowing the Dodgers to come back and tie the game in the fifth.
“It’s tough,” Williams said. “The guys today gave me a chance to win, the chance to be a stopper, and I let them down by not putting my foot down. This one’s going to sting.”
After Williams exited, Los Angeles took a two-run lead against the Pirates’ bullpen in the seventh, aided by an errant fielder’s choice throw by Josh Bell. Bell helped atone by driving in Cabrera with a single in the eighth, but that was it for the inning as the Bucs left two stranded.
With two outs in the ninth, Adam Frazier drew a walk against Kenley Jansen to give Cabrera one more opportunity to be the hero. Cabrera doubled Frazier to third, and his day ended as Joe Musgrove replaced him as a pinch-runner. That’s where things stopped, as Gregory Polanco struck out swinging to bring the series to an unceremonious close.
The Pirates head to Texas for a two-game Interleague set vs. the Rangers still searching for a way to get back on track. Cabrera is staying optimistic that the Bucs will find it.
“When I look at our team, we have a young team filled with talent,” Cabrera said. “And I’m really hopeful that we’re going to be able to pick it up and we’re going to gather ourselves very soon.”