The Los Angeles Dodgers entered September with one of the easier schedules in the Majors, but their recent performance against weaker opponents has raised concerns. The Dodgers were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series, losing 5-3 on Thursday night at PNC Park, who entered the series 13 games under .500 and last in the NL Central.
This sweep has pointed to a worrisome pattern for the Dodgers over the past two months. Since August 1, L.A. has posted an 11-4 record against teams with .500 or better records but gone 4-12 against sub-.500 opponents, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, revealing inconsistency against weaker competition.
The Pirates’ victory was powered by right-hander Paul Skenes, who pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, walking one, and striking out eight. Skenes improved to 10-9 for the season, surpassing .500 for the first time in 2025 and lowering his ERA to a major league-best 1.98. The former NL Rookie of the Year has now won six of his last seven decisions.
Blake Snell started for the Dodgers but was hit hard, allowing five runs on nine hits over five innings, while Pittsburgh scored four runs in a decisive fifth inning following three consecutive singles. Tommy Pham’s third-inning single opened the scoring, and Nick Yorke’s two-run double contributed to the four-run rally that effectively sealed the game. Ben Rortvedt, called up to assist with catching duties, struck out to end the ninth as Colin Holderman recorded his first save of the season, despite entering with a 7.89 ERA.
Offensively, the Dodgers were limited to five hits, with Mookie Betts breaking up the shutout with a leadoff ninth-inning home run. RBI singles from Pedro Pages and Miguel Rojas trimmed the deficit to 5-3, but it was too late to mount a full comeback.
It's the first time in a decade that Los Angeles has been swept by Pittsburgh. The loss was the Dodgers’ fifth defeat in six games, with the team scoring just 16 runs during that stretch. Overall, since the beginning of July, the Dodgers have gone 25-30, while the Pirates, after the sweep, stand at 28-27.
Still, Los Angeles remains atop the NL West, two games ahead of the second-place Padres, who lost eight of their past 10 games, including a sweep in San Diego by Baltimore. The Dodgers also sit three games behind the Phillies for a first-round postseason bye, leaving little room for error heading into the final month of the regular season.
The Dodgers’ road trip continues with a series against the Baltimore Orioles, followed by a home series against the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in MLB this season. For a team chasing a championship, the next few weeks are make-or-break, as they need to get their act together and make the most of games against teams they’re supposed to comfortably win.
