The Dodgers bullpen woes reached a nadir in front of a national television audience, with Jim Johnson taking the brunt of the whooping stick in a nine-run seventh inning in a stunning 13-6 loss to the Pirates to complete a three-game sweep at PNC Park.
The Dodgers once led Sunday's contest 5-1 but held a 5-3 lead as late as one out in the seventh inning, with Johnson on the mound making his fourth appearance since joining the Dodgers. He faced 10 batters and retired two of them, allowing eight runs.
There was a time in the inning when the game still seemed winnable by the Dodgers, when Johnson had faced just four batters, hitting a batter and allowing two singles after a strikeout, holding a 5-4 lead with runners at the corners and the switch-hitting Neil Walker due up.