Skenes pitches 6 scoreless innings and Pirates hold off Dodgers 5-3 for 3-game series sweep

By: John Perrotto, The Associated Press Posted: 8:34 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 4, 2025

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes pitched six scoreless innings and earned his 10th win of the season as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 on Thursday night to complete a three-game series sweep.

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Skenes (10-9) allowed two hits, struck out eight, and walked one. The right-hander finally got his record above .500 for the first time this season and lowered his ERA to a major league-best 1.98.

Skenes, last season’s NL Rookie of the Year who was 4-8 this season for the last-place Pirates, has won six of his last seven decisions.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

The Dodgers were held to five hits and had their division lead cut to two games over idle San Diego.

Mookie Betts broke up the Pirates’ shutout bid with a leadoff home run in the ninth inning, and RBI singles by Pedro Pages and Miguel Rojas cut the deficit to 5-3. However, Colin Holderman struck out Ben Rortvedt to end it for his first save of the season.

Dodgers starter Blake Snell (3-4) was tagged for five runs and nine hits in five innings.

Tommy Pham’s single in the third inning opened the scoring, and Nick Yorke’s two-run double highlighted a four-run fifth that pushed the Pirates’ lead to 5-0.

The Dodgers lost for the fifth time in six games, and the Prates won for the 12th time in 16 games.

Key moment

The Dodgers had runners on first and second in a scoreless game in the second, but Skenes coaxed Betts into hitting into an inning-ending force play.

Key stat

Holderman, who entered the game with a 7.89 ERA, finished with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Up next

The Dodgers open a series at Baltimore on Friday with RHP Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 3.41 ERA) facing Orioles RHP Dean Kremer (9-10, 4.52).

The Pirates begin a home series with NL Central-leading Milwaukee on Friday with RHP Johan Oviedo (2-0, 3.60) starting against RHP Quinn Priester (11-2, 3.28).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB