PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates are almost certainly going to finish last in the National League Central this season. Yet Wednesday night showed why Pittsburgh feels it is not far away from being a contending team.
The Pirates blanked the NL West-leading Dodgers, 3-0, at PNC Park as five pitchers combined on a five-hitter. The first four pitchers, who covered eight innings, were rookies as Pittsburgh threw its MLB-best 17th shutout of the season.
Braxton Ashcraft pitched the first three innings, and Mike Burrows (2-4) followed with a three-inning stint. Evan Sisk and Isaac Mattson worked one inning each before Dennis Santana had a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Shohei Ohtani to end the game and notch his 13th save.
The Dodgers entered the game ranked second in MLB in runs scored with an average of 5.12 per game.
“The rookies. I think what we’ve been talking about, that mindset and the competitiveness of attacking the zone, and even when things started to get out of control a little bit, being able to rein it back in and get back in the zone and make pitches when they had to,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I think it’s tough, especially for rookies, [because] they haven't been in those situations, feeling that pressure, so to speak, against the World Series champs.”
After Bryan Reynolds hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to open the scoring, the Dodgers loaded the bases with none out in the second. However, Ashcraft escaped the jam by striking out Andy Pages and Alex Freeland and getting Kiké Hernández to fly out.
Andrew McCutchen hit a leadoff home run in the second inning to push the Pirates’ lead to 2-0. The Dodgers again loaded the bases in the third with two outs before Alex Call ended the inning on a tapper in front of home plate.
“Our job is to go out and put up zeros in any way that we can, despite the situations we put ourselves in,” Ashcraft said. “You have your back against the wall a lot in this game. It’s a game of failure. And understanding how to pull yourself out of that failure and help contribute to the team’s success, that's a big piece of being successful in the big leagues.”
Burrows extricated himself from a jam in the fifth inning when Ohtani hit a leadoff double and Mookie Betts walked. Yet Burrows preserved the 2-0 lead when Dalton Rushing lined out and Freddie Freeman grounded into a double play.
“I think we know how good that lineup is,” Burrows said. “I was just being conscious of that, trying to be in the zone and just not give them free ones. Just doing our due diligence.
“I don’t think any of us see ourselves … we know we’re rookies, but we know we’re all here in this clubhouse. We’re just trying to compete and win.”
Another rookie, Bubba Chandler, got credit for the win on Tuesday night when the Pirates defeated the Dodgers, 9-7, in the opener of the three-game series. Chandler has two wins and a save in his first three MLB appearances.
Ashcraft, Burrows and Chandler could be in the Pirates’ starting rotation at the beginning of next season, along with NL Cy Young Award favorite Paul Skenes and veteran Mitch Keller. That is allowing the Pirates to dream of better days ahead in 2026 and beyond.
“Everyone’s coming up and doing their job,” McCutchen, a 17-year veteran, said of the rookie pitchers. “It doesn’t seem like they’re trying to put more pressure on themselves getting here. They’re just doing what got them here. It’s great that these guys are getting the opportunity now, and we’re able to see these young arms on the field and watch them work at their craft.
“I can’t speak for them, but I would just assume they probably feel, ‘Alright. I can just try and finish the season strong and show what I can do, I’m capable of going out and doing it.’ So I think that’s been helpful for them, too. It’s great to watch.”