LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tarik Skubal struck out 11 to earn his first win as a Dodger, Kyle Tucker singled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the fifth inning, and Los Angeles rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Saturday night.
The NL West leaders won their fifth in a row and ninth in 12 games with their 37th comeback win of the season.
After a rough first inning in which he trailed 3-0, Skubal (8-7) settled down and retired 20 of his final 23 batters.
The left-hander allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings with one walk. His strikeouts were one off his season high and two off his career best.
Tanner Scott retired the side in the ninth to earn his 19th save.
Skubal was 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA in his first three starts with the Dodgers, who acquired the two-time Cy Young Award winner in a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month.
Tucker snapped an 0 for 25 skid at home with his two-run RBI to right, giving the Dodgers their first lead, 4-3. Mookie Betts got hit by reliever Yohan Ramírez to open the inning and Max Muncy followed with a double to set up Tucker, who again received encouraging applause from the sellout crowd of 53,417.
The Pirates had the tying run on third in the eighth after Esmerlyn Valdez doubled off reliever Evan Phillips. Pinch-runner Billy Cook took third on a passed ball by catcher Ben Rortvedt. Jack Dreyer came in and got Cruz on a called third strike to end the threat.
Yohan Ramirez (6-4) took the loss in relief.
After three hitless innings, the Dodgers finally got to Pirates starter Jared Jones in the fourth. Teoscar Hernández and newly called up Alek Thomas had back-to-back RBI singles that pulled them within 3-2.
The Pirates jumped on Skubal in the first, taking a 3-0 lead. Oneil Cruz had a two-run triple — his first of the season — to right and Rafael Flores Jr. followed with an RBI groundout to second.
Jones gave up two runs and three hits in four innings while striking out five and walking five.
Pirates reliever Camilo Doval pitched one inning of scoreless relief in the sixth before being ejected.
The Pirates had yet to announce a starter for Sunday's series finale against Dodgers LHP Blake Snell (1-1, 3.60).
___
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
