Dodgers sweep Bucs by taking two 1 run games

Dodgers 8, Pirates 7 (11 inn)
Blass vs Sutton

Young guns, Steve Blass and Don Sutton, were throwing BP today.  Blass gave up 7 in 4 and Sutton was marginally better with 5 in 6.  On the heels of a 5 run 3rd inning the Dodgers had what seemed to be a safe 7-3 lead.  The Bucs cashed in with 2 in the 5th and 2 more in 7th to tie it up.  Reliever Al McBean was generous to his old teammates, which sent the game into extra innings.  Fast forward to the bottom of the 11th where Tom Haller and Wes Parker led off the inning with back to back singles to put runners on the corners with nobody out.  Bill Sudakis grounded to third, which froze Haller but allowed Parker to move up 90 feet to second.  Jim Lefebvre was given an intentional pass to load the bases and create a force all around.  Len Gabrielson was called on to pinch hit for reliever Pete Mikkelsen and promptly placed one perfectly between the 5-6 hole for a clean walk off single.  Lost in the shuffle was Buc catcher Jerry May's 4 hit day.  Sudakis had just 1 hit for the Dodgers, but it was a beauty...a grand slam in the 3rd.

Dodgers 4, Pirates 3
Ellis vs Osteen

The Dodgers scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first and held on for dear life as the Bucs chipped away slowly.  Claude Osteen (3 runs / CG) bent (10 hits) but never broke.  Osteen aided his cause by fanning 9 and not walking a soul.  Andy Kosco's 3 run blast in the bottom of the first off Dock Ellis proved to be the difference maker.

Dodgers 4, Pirates 0
Veale vs Singer

Bill Singer fanned 9 in this sweep 4 hit complete game shutout.  3-Dog, Willie Davis, went 3 for 4 to pace a 10 hit Dodger attack that came to life after a horrible road trip to help inch the team closer to .500.  Singer, who is hitting .280, chipped in a single and his 3rd RBI of the season to close out the series sweep.