Pirates Take Two Out of Three Games Against the Dodgers
The Pittsburgh Pirates took two of the three games they just played against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it was an interesting series. It could be assumed that most didn’t expect the Dodgers to lose the series, as their roster sort of speaks for itself as disgusting as some may find it. They’re also one of the top teams in Major League Baseball, with a record of 39-25. The Pirates, on the other hand, aren’t so hot. They’re sitting at the bottom of the National League Central, with a 29-33 record. They do have some young life, though, in the 2021 number-one overall pick, Henry Davis although he’s been injured as well as the 2023 draft’s number-one pick, Paul Skenes. One of the highlights of this series was the competitive pitching matchup between Skenes and the controversial Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The Pirates shut out Los Angeles on Tuesday, which was the first game of the series. That certainly hasn’t been done much this year. Jared Jones pitched six innings scoreless and only allowed three hits, which was followed up by three innings of solid work from the Pirates bullpen. Looking at the Dodgers lineup, that’s insanely impressive. The Pirates came out swinging on Wednesday, as they got off to a 7-0 start by the second inning. The Dodgers made a decent comeback run, but the Pirates ended up holding on to win 10-6. The matchup between Skenes and Othani was intriguing, as Othani struck out on three fastballs in his first at-bat versus Skenes, but homered in his second one. Nick Gonzales also had four RBIs, and Edward Olivares had three hits. It would have been impressive if the Pirates pulled off a sweep, but the Dodgers took game three on Thursday, winning 11-7. They were propelled by the bats of Miguel Rojas, who had three hits, and Mookie Betts.
Overall, it was an impressive performance from the Pirates. While they currently hover below the .500 mark and likely won’t do much this season, there were some serious signs of life shown from them this series. Even the best teams lose 70 games in baseball. However, this series showed that the underdogs can come out on top.
