Corey Seager & Justin Ruggiano continue to produce in September

LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager hit his first Dodger Stadium home run on Friday night, one of two September additions who were integral to the Dodgers' 6-2 win over the Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.

Seager started again at shortstop with Jimmy Rollins still rehabbing his sprained right index finger, the 10th straight game Seager has started at shortstop. It was his 13th start overall in 14 games since joining the Dodgers, and Seager has reached base in all 13 starts, with at least one hit in 12.

Seager is hitting .412/.508/.647 so far, and his 21 hits through 14 career games are the second-most by a Los Angeles Dodger, trailing only the 25 hits by Yasiel Puig in his first 14 games in 2013.

The home run on Friday was against Jeff Locke, a left-hander. The left-handed Seager so far this season against southpaws is 8-for-23 (.348) with a double, a home run, six RBI, three walks and two strikeouts. That home run also widened the Dodgers' lead to 4-1, giving the club some breathing room.

"Seager's home run was huge," manager Don Mattingly said.

The home run was the 47th hit by a Dodgers rookie in 2015, setting a new franchise record, per STATS LLC. The previous record was 46, established in 1958 and tied two years later.

But Seager wasn't the only new Dodger to continue to add to his September numbers on Friday.

Justin Ruggiano led off the game with a single and scored in the inning, improving to 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run in the first inning in his five times batting leadoff this month, all against left-handed pitching.

Ruggiano also singled home a run in the second inning against Locke, and since joining the Dodgers the right-handed Ruggiano is 11-for-26 (.423) with four doubles, two home runs, a triple and a walk against southpaws.

In his first game back with his original franchise on Sept. 1, Ruggianno started and was 0-for-3, but since then has at least one hit in all seven of his starts. Overall, Ruggiano is hitting .364/.400/.818 with eight extra-base hits and 11 RBI in just 35 plate appearances.

"Both of those guys have been a nice addition for us," Mattingly said. "Ruge has given us a couple of leadoff homers, and has given us another righty we can start against lefties."

With another lefty on the mound for Pittsburgh on Saturday, it's a safe bet Ruggiano will start again. With good reason.

Up next

The Dodgers go for a third straight win on Saturday night, an earlier 6:10 p.m. PT start, with Clayton Kershaw on the mound in the middle game of the series. Francisco Liriano starts for the Pirates.