PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run home run in the eighth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp (27) drives in a run from third with a fielder’s choice off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jordy Mercer (10) scores as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal takes the late relay throw on a sacrifice fly to center field by Gregory Polanco in the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Elias Diaz (32) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field off Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Erik Goeddel during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp (27) drives in a run from third with a fielder’s choice off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon delivers in the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Scott Alexander #75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a pitch in the second inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jordy Mercer, left, scores as Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal waits for the late relay throw on a sacrifice fly to center field by Gregory Polanco in the third inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run home run in the seventh inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger (35) rounds second after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Tyler Glasnow (24) in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger (35) rounds third to greetings from Chris Woodward (45) after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Tyler Glasnow (24) in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted by Matt Kemp #27 as he crosse home plate after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted by teammates in the dugout after coming around to score on an RBI single by Breyvic Valera #33 in the fourth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run home run in the eighth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson rounds second after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon in the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. Pederson homered twice in the 8-7 Dodgers win. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson rounds third after hitting a solo home run off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jameson Taillon in the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, is greeted by Matt Kemp (27) after hitting a two-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Tyler Glasnow (24) in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. The Dodgers won 8-7. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Fans react as Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is greeted by teammates in the dugout after hitting a two run home run in the eighth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits an RBI double to center field in the sixth inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Breyvic Valera #33 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is tagged out at second base by Jordy Mercer #10 of the Pittsburgh Pirates while attempting to advance in the ninth inning during the game at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Daniel Hudson delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 7, 2018. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Francisco Cervelli #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts as crosses home plate after hitting a home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 07: Kenley Jansen #74 of the Los Angeles Dodgers shakes hands with Yasmani Grandal #9 after the final out in a 8-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 7, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers already won a game this season when their starting pitcher threw only two pitches. It wasn’t much of a step from there to win one when their starting pitcher didn’t even throw a single pitch.
Dennis Santana was scheduled to make his first major-league start Thursday in Pittsburgh. But the rookie was shut down while warming up in the bullpen and scratched from the start due to soreness in his right lat muscle. He will undergo an MRI in Los Angeles on Friday, the Dodgers’ overworked healthcare coverage put to the test yet again.
Daniel Hudson was scrambled into duty to start the game – “I think I was the only one down there,” he joked of being chosen for his first starting assignment since 2015.
Hudson was the first of nine relievers who pitched in the game – after the Dodgers used eight pitchers in Wednesday night’s game. That relief relay served as a bucket brigade responding to the latest emergency and the Dodgers held on by their fingertips to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-7, taking two of three at PNC Park and five of six on their two-city trip.
The Dodgers return to Los Angeles having won 15 of their last 20 games despite a starting rotation down to three healthy bodies and a bullpen that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has had to treat like a tube of toothpaste, squeezing out … just … a … little … more … to get through another day.
“It’s one of those things where you’ve just kind of got to ask guys to do more than they’ve been asked to do and stretch them more,” Roberts said. “You try to navigate it the best you can and understand you don’t have a whole lot of margin.
“But to the guys’ credit, the bullpen did a fantastic job. … This was a team win, for sure.”
It went beyond the active roster. Bullpen coach Mark Prior was cheered when he entered the coaches’ locker room after the game. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt joked about the stressful day, saying, “I’m gassed – and I didn’t even pitch.”
It was Honeycutt who had to call Roberts from the bullpen to deliver the news after Santana told catcher Yasmani Grandal 29 pitches into his warm-ups that he was having discomfort in his back.
“He called when I got to the dugout,” Roberts said. “During the anthem.”
Given the state of the Dodgers’ pitching staff, Roberts would have been forgiven for taking a knee.
Thursday was the fifth time in their last 10 games over 11 days that the Dodgers’ relievers have had to cover more than six innings in a game. During that stretch, their starting pitchers – not including Hudson and Scott Alexander, relievers who happened to pitch the first inning – have thrown 31-1/3 innings. Relievers have thrown 57-2/3 (including the 2-1/3 by Hudson and Alexander in their ‘starts’).
“It’s part of the job,” Hudson said. “Sometimes starters go down or they’re not as effective. Nobody down there (in the bullpen) is a complainer. There are no roles other than Kenley so you have to be ready whenever the phone rings, no matter what inning it is.
“Strap it on, get ready to go.”
The Dodgers use a color-coded chart to track bullpen usage and workload. That chart will be glowing red tomorrow. Hudson has pitched in four of the past five games. He, Alexander and Josh Fields pitched in each of the three games in Pittsburgh. Pedro Baez pitched in two of the three, spending the middle game in paper exile to Triple-A.
And it was Baez who got the win Thursday.
“Everybody did a great job,” Jansen said. “I think we all just didn’t get bothered with the situation and just stuck our head in the game.”
The Dodgers’ offense did what it could to make things easy for the relievers. Joc Pederson hit two home runs and Cody Bellinger one – his daily quota during the Pittsburgh series where he went 5 for 10 with three walks and five runs scored, bouncing back from Sunday’s slump-induced benching.
But it still wasn’t easy.
Pederson’s second homer of the game made it 8-3 in the eighth inning. But the Dodgers had to absorb a three-run home run by Elias Diaz in the bottom of the inning, a blow that prompted Roberts to bring in his only rested reliever – Jansen, who had not pitched since Sunday in Colorado.
“Hey, I thought I might get four,” Jansen said when asked if he felt guilty about getting three days’ rest. “This was such a crazy road trip. I thought, ‘Everybody’s getting used. Why not me?’”
He couldn’t make it to the finish before serving up a home run to Francisco Cervelli in the ninth. But Jansen finished it off, sending the Dodgers home to the next challenge.
“Tomorrow – I know we have a starter going tomorrow,” Roberts said. “We’ll figure it out. Somehow, we’ll figure it out.”
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