After beginning the season on the 10-day injured list due to a strained MCL in his left knee and extending his rehab assignment to include pitching in extended Spring Training, Rich Hill was eager to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Whether that adrenaline worked against Hill or the Pittsburgh Pirates simply had the advantage early, his 2019 debut got off to a shaky start. Hill and the Dodgers faced a deficit two batters into Sunday’s game when Melky Cabrera hit a solo home run.
Shaky defense in the second inning led the Pirates scoring four more runs, capped off by Cabrera’s two-run homer.