After pulling off one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory, the Dodger blew a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth inning in front of a disappointed Dodger Stadium crowd of 46,724 on Monday night.

But it wasn’t just Dodgers fans who were disappointed.

“A little better at the end than at the beginning obviously, but it’s just disappointing,” Dodgers right-handed starter Walker Buehler said postgame. “With our team playing so well and claws back from [a 4-0] hole I put us in, it’s just disappointing.”

“He’s frustrated,” manager Dave Roberts said of Buehler. “He, like all of us, has high expectations for himself. I think, right now, he’s trying to figure it out on the fly, and I think the bottom line is that he’s just not commanding the baseball.”

And then there’s Dodgers closer Craig Kimbrel who, when handed a remarkable come-from-behind 5-4 lead after the Dodgers tacked on two runs in the bottom half of the eighth inning, walked Pirates second baseman Diego Castillo, the second batter he faced, with one out in the top of the ninth. Kimbrel then uncorked a wild pitch allowing Castillo to take second base, gave up an RBI single to Pirates catcher Michael Perez, who took second on the unsuccessful throw home, was victimized by a (very) rare fielding error by Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman allowing Pirates designated hitter Cal Mitchell to reach first base safely that allowed Pirates pinch runner Michael Chavis to score, and allowed Mitchell to steal second base before finally striking out Pirates center fielder Brian Reynolds to retire the side.

“I’ll be the first one to tell you my last couple outings have been pretty bad,” Kimbrel told reporters. “It’s something that I have been able to work through and didn’t hurt the team, but I haven’t really been like I should be. But I’m still battling and getting back to where I need to be and not really worried that it won’t happen at some point.”

As for that rare Freeman error, the 32-year-old Villa Park, CA native and second-round draft pick in 2007 by the Atlanta Braves out of El Modena High School in Orange, CA took full responsibility for it.

“I missed it,” Freeman told reporters. “We had a chance to win it and we just didn’t.”

On the bright side, the Dodgers almost-come-from-behind win was the result of back-to-back solo home runs by Dodgers second baseman Hanser Alberto and future Hall of Fame right fielder Mookie Betts in the bottom of the fifth inning, and a solo shot by Dodgers designated hitter Edwin Ríos in the bottom of the sixth to pull to within one of the Bucs. And then there’s Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, who extended his MLB-leading hitting streak to 22 games with his leadoff double in the bottom of the eighth inning after taking a called strike on a 3-0 count.

Also on the bright side, Betts’ ground Rule double in the bottom of the ninth inning, gave him 22 extra-base in May to move him past Dodgers great Jackie Robinson for most extra-base hits by a Dodger during the month of May – with one game still remaining.

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *