PITTSBURGH (AP) — Daniel Vogelbach is a livewire in the dugout, so much so that Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton joked he might occasionally put his team’s designated hitter at first base just to get away from him for a bit.
It’s that intensity that endears Vogelbach to his teammates, an intensity that’s symbolic of a club trying to prove that for all of the talk about its future, the present can be compelling at times, too.
Vogelbach provided a reminder Wednesday, lashing a go-ahead home run off Daniel Hudson in the seventh inning as Pittsburgh took a series from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time in nearly five years with a 5-3 victory.
Less than 24 hours after getting drilled in an 11-1 loss and minutes after a three-run lead disappeared, Vogelbach punctuated his fifth homer of the season with a little hop as he made his way toward first base.
“Everybody plays hard, nobody gives in,” Vogelbach said. “That’s a really, really good team over there that we just won a series against.”
Jack Suwinski hit his second home run in three days for Pittsburgh. J osh VanMeter hit a two-run homer in the sixth and provided some insurance with a leadoff triple in the eighth that led to an insurance run — atoning for an error he made at second base that kickstarted a Los Angeles rally in the top of the seventh.
“It’s easy to get down after (the error) and then give an at-bat away, but good players don’t do that,” VanMeter said. “That’s something I always try to pride myself on, always trying to come back.”
Pittsburgh’s Wil Crowe (2-2) came on for a shaky Chris Stratton in the seventh and promptly issued two walks to load the bases. But he escaped when shortstop Diego Castillo made a leaping grab on a line drive by Will Smith and Max Muncy struck out on a full-count…
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