The Pirates blanked Los Angeles 3-0 on Sept. 3 behind a steady start from Braxton Ashcraft and a sharp relief outing from Mike Burrows. Ashcraft logged five innings with defiant baserunner pressure early, leaving with a 2-0 edge after Reynolds and McCutchen drilled solo shots in the first two frames. Burrows in relief erased a pair of Dodgers threats, including a bases-loaded moment that ended with a Freeman double play on Ohtani’s leadoff double. The win secures Pittsburgh’s sixth straight home victory and its first winning home record since 2018, with ten home games left on the schedule.

Reynolds opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first and McCutchen followed in the second, padding the lead and providing the offense the pitching staff could lean on. The Dodgers threatened again in the middle innings but couldn’t muster a run, as Burrows and the bullpen kept L.A. off the board. It’s a notable performance for a Pirates club that has been exceptionally stingy at PNC all year, leveraging timely hitting and bullpen depth to climb ahead of a crowded playoff conversation for fantasy managers monitoring Pirates pitchers and hitters down the stretch.