Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws to the plate during the second inning of a game against the Dodgers on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani prepares to bat during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani watches his foul ball during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
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)
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws to the plate during the second inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Dodgers on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes winds up to deliver during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
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)
Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Alexander Canario reaches but cannot catch a double hit by the Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing during the third inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after Mookie Betts grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the top of the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws to the plate during the second inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Tommy Pham hits an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds, left, is greeted by Andrew McCutchen, right, after scoring during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Nick Gonzales, bottom, slides safely into third on a single by Bryan Reynolds as Dodgers third baseman Miguel Rojas, top, waits for the late throw during the fifth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Nick Yorke hits an RBI double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Jared Triolo (19) is greeted by Tommy Pham (28) after scoring during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after striking out during the sixth inning of their 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani walks to the dugout after striking out during the sixth inning of their 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. The Dodgers were swept in the three-game series and have lost 12 of their past 16 games against teams with losing records. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Colin Holderman celebrates after getting the final out of the ninth inning in their 5-3 victory over the Dodgers on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Colin Holderman, right, celebrates with catcher Henry Davis, left, after getting the final out of the ninth inning in their 5-3 victory over the Dodgers, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani warms up before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani warms up before a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Dodgers utility man Hyeseong Kim sits in the dugout during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws to the plate during the second inning of a game against the Dodgers on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers are not just playing down to their competition, they’re managing to limbo even lower.
Dominated by pitchers with 5.00 ERAs in recent series (Yu Darvish and Nestor Cortes in San Diego, Zac Gallen and Eduardo Rodriguez with Arizona), the Dodgers weren’t ready for the higher degree of difficulty presented by Cy Young Award contender Paul Skenes. They managed just two hits in six innings against him and were shut out into the ninth inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat them for the third straight night, 5-3.
The sweep at PNC Park was only the Pirates’ second over the Dodgers since the stadium opened in 2011 (they also swept a series in August 2015). But the Pirates have won the home series against the Dodgers each of the past four seasons.
The Dodgers weren’t just swept by the Pirates, they were dominated. They never held a lead for a single inning and were nearly shut out in back-to-back games by a last-place Pirates team whose approximately $87 million payroll might cover the fuel bill for the two planes the Dodgers use on every trip.
The Dodgers (78-62) have lost 12 of their past 16 games against teams with losing records. Their NL West lead over the second-place San Diego Padres is two games with 22 games left in the regular season.
“I don’t know. We’re just not playing good baseball. That’s really it,” Thursday’s losing pitcher Blake Snell said when asked for an explanation. “It’s pretty simple. We’re just not playing good ball. We’re going to Baltimore. They played good against San Diego, so we’ve got to come in with energy, set the tone with pitching and do what we know we can do. We’re a really good team. We’ve got to figure that out. That’s on us to do that. We’ve got to get it going. It’s crunch time right now. Can’t really have excuses. We’ve got to figure it out and make it happen.”
Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas called the Dodgers’ string of poor performances against teams planning their October vacations “frustrating” and “embarrassing” and said the team might be too aware of how far it is from meeting expectations.
“I feel like, as an offense, we’re putting a little bit too much pressure on ourselves, because we feel the necessity of winning. And we’re really forgetting about the most important part, which is playing for each other and having some joy when we play this game,” Rojas said. “This is my personal opinion. I feel like ever since we started playing poorly a couple months ago, the pressure and frustration has been building up on the team. And I don’t see anybody smiling and having a good time. We all know, when you’re losing baseball games it’s not that fun. But I feel like we have to find a way to put everything in perspective. We’re still in first place. We’re still two games ahead of the Padres. We should be able to have some fun while we’re playing the game, and kind of relax a little bit more. Because I think when this team is together like that, we’re really hard to beat.”
They haven’t had much to smile about for two months now. Starting on July 4, the Dodgers have gone 22-30. Only two teams in the National League (the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies) have won fewer games during that stretch.
“When you’re not winning games, it’s not fun,” Rojas continued. “You’re not going out there having the same joy, the same fun, when you’ve been playing poorly for over two months. We all know that. It’s frustrating. It’s embarrassing. I feel like, as a team, we know what we’re capable of. We’re playing under the threshold, the goal that we have. But at the end of the day, we gotta put all that aside and remember that, it’s going to be a battle. We have over 20 games left, and we have to find some joy and some motivation to come to the ballpark. Not just to, ‘I gotta do my job.’ We have to come here and enjoy ourselves around the clubhouse, regardless of the situation and regardless of, like, this sweep.
“It sucks. We’re not feeling really good about it. But we have to be able to turn the page and come tomorrow with a better attitude. Not just when you’re stepping in to play, it’s all business and all that, but we have to find a way to enjoy the game a little bit more.”
There was little joy in facing Skenes. He retired the first eight Dodgers in order, striking out half of them. Dalton Rushing broke the spell with a drive off the very top of the wall in right-center field with two outs in the third inning. That double was followed by a walk of Shohei Ohtani, giving the Dodgers their best – only – scoring chance against Skenes. Mookie Betts bounced into a forceout to end the inning.
Nine of the next 10 Dodgers went down against Skenes, only Rojas breaking the march with a two-out single in the fifth inning.
“I thought early on we took good at-bats. We got the pitch count up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Then it just seemed like he got into a little bit of a groove. There was a point where we could’ve gotten him out after five. The last couple innings I felt he was efficient to get through sixth. We really didn’t threaten.”
Dodgers starter Blake Snell couldn’t uphold his side of an anticipated pitching matchup between a two-time past winner of the Cy Young Award (Snell) and a virtual certain future winner (Skenes).
Snell gave up 12 baserunners in his five innings – nine hits and three walks. He danced away from damage in the first two innings, stranding two baserunners in the first and leaving the bases loaded in the second.
But the Pirates (64-77) got to him for a run in the third inning on two singles wrapped around two wild pitches. Things got worse in a four-run fifth inning. The Pirates packed the inning with four of their hits, including a two-run double by Nick Yorke.
“Results-wise, not good. But I like the pitches. I made a lot of good pitches,” Snell said.
“Made a lot of good pitches to get quick outs. Just found holes. One of the weirder games I’ve pitched in a long time.”
The Dodgers avoided a second consecutive shutout when Betts led off the ninth inning with a home run and then found some offensive life. Three consecutive singles produced another run and Rojas’ RBI single made it a three-run ninth and put the tying runs on base for – Ben Rortvedt?
Roberts had subbed for Rushing in the eighth inning, not expecting the game to get around to his spot in the lineup again. That left him with Rortvedt – a career .186 hitter just off the plane from Oklahoma City (where he was hitting .228) – with the game on the line.
“I wish I would’ve known that we were going to have eight hitters come to bat in the ninth inning,” Roberts said. “But if I keep him in the game, then it could’ve been different. … My thought, was that (Rushing) is going to catch three or four in a row so it just happened that we took good at-bats and we found some life and Ben came to bat.
“Obviously in a separate world I would’ve loved to have had Dalton up there, but when you have three hits through eight (innings) and you’re down 5-0, just kind of trying to figure out how to preserve him for the next few days, too.”
Rortvedt struck out to end the game – with three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani on deck – and the Dodgers hopped on their two planes to Baltimore – where another last-place team awaits.
Originally Published: September 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM PDT