Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ross Ohlendorf, right, is congratulated by Alex Presley, left, and Ryan Ludwick after hitting a three-run home run during the second inning of the Bucs' 6-2 victory in Los Angeles Thursday night.

LOS ANGELES — Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle was blunt in his sitdown with Ross Ohlendorf: throw the ball lower, throw strikes and do it now.

Knowing his tendency to overthink things, Ohlendorf appreciated the simplicity.

He got his first win of the season in seven starts and hit a three-run homer to help the Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 Thursday night, a loss that mathematically eliminated the bankrupt franchise from the NL West race.

“His fastball and slider were very efficient and the ball was down in the zone,” Hurdle said. “Ross hasn’t had a lot to feel good about.”

In his previous start, Ohlendorf lasted just two innings and allowed six hits against Florida.

Ohlendorf (1-2) allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings, struck out six and walked none. It was the right-hander’s fifth start since rejoining the team on Aug. 23 after a stint on the disabled list with right shoulder discomfort.

“It’s been a while since I’ve pitched like that,” Ohlendorf said. “It’s by far the best I’ve felt since I got hurt the first time. I feel like I’m finally getting back to what I’m capable of doing.”

Ohlendorf won for the first time on the road since Aug. 11, 2009, at Colorado. He tweaked his delivery, using a bigger motion that kept his mind focused.

“Hurdle and I had a talk earlier in the week about wiping the slate clean and starting over. Hearing that come from him really helped,” he said. “A big thing too was forcing myself not to overthink about the hitters in terms of which pitches to throw.”

All-Star Joel Hanrahan got pinch-hitter Aaron Miles to fly out to left field with the bases loaded in the ninth to earn his 38th save in 41 chances.

Dana Eveland (2-1) gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings, struck out four and walked one. The left-hander made 35 pitches in the second when the Pirates batted around while scoring four runs.

“Unfortunately, I got outdueled,” Eveland said. “Ohlendorf threw the ball really well. He hadn’t won in a long time, but he broke that streak, so congratulations to him.”

Brandon Wood’s RBI single tied the game at 1-1 and Ohlendorf followed with his first career homer and first career RBIs on the first pitch from Eveland to make it 4-1. Ohlendorf hit to the opposite field with two outs on a cool, damp evening at Dodger Stadium and got mobbed by his teammates back in the dugout.