Pirates defeat Dodgers, 8-4, to complete stunning 3-game sweep in Los Angeles

The Pittsburgh Pirates venturing into Dodger Stadium and winning all three games would have been surprising even if Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker and A.J. Burnett were still pulling the strings.

But Wednesday, it was Rodolfo Castro, Mike Chavis, Chase De Jong and several others who led the Pirates to an 8-4 victory that punctuated three stunning nights in Los Angeles.

The victory completed the Pirates’ first three-game sweep of the Dodgers in L.A. in 22 years. Combined with their two victories against the Dodgers (33-17) last month at PNC Park, the Pirates (22-27) are responsible for nearly 30% of the Dodgers’ losses this season.

It was the Pirates’ first three-game series sweep since Aug. 21-23, 2020, when they won three in row against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates also are the first to sweep the Dodgers at home since the St. Louis Cardinals did it in 2018.

“I’m really proud of our group,” manager Derek Shelton said. “We’re running out a young group of players, a bunch of rookies. To come in this environment and to do that is really special.”

The four-run margin might indicate that the victory — the third in a row, a season high — was one of the easier ones of the season. Far from it.

Slick with their gloves and arms all night, the Pirates needed to pull off four double plays, including a conventional around-the-horn variety, another that went diagonally across the diamond and Bryan Reynolds’ strong throw from centerfield that nailed the Dodgers’ Gavin Lux at home plate and protected what was then only a one-run lead.

“We played really well,” Shelton said, “and you have to play really well to beat a team of this caliber.”

The first defensive gem emerged in the third inning when shortstop Diego Castillo fielded a groundball, spun toward third base and threw out Kevin Pillar, who was trying to advance from second.

Staked to a 3-1 lead by Reynolds’ 409-foot home run in the fourth inning, the Pirates pulled off a rare 5-3-5 double play in the sixth.

Hanser Alberto grounded out to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who threw to first baseman Michael Chavis to get the first out. Chris Taylor, who was running from first on the pitch, tried to streak all the way to third. But Hayes hurried back to the bag and took the return throw from Chavis to nail Taylor.

“You get a guy (Chavis) who plays first base and throws better than a lot of first basemen because he’s played at other parts of the diamond,” Shelton said. “It was just a heads-up baseball play.”

Then, there was DeJong, a Long Beach, Calif., native, who wriggled out of a jam in the fifth after relieving starter Jose Quintana.

After not pitching since May 22, De Jong inherited runners on second and third with one out in the fifth. Waiting for him was the meat of the Dodgers’ batting order, but he struck out Trea Turner and got Justin Turner to foul out to first base.

“I give Chase a ton of credit,” Shelton said. “To come in in this environment (a crowd of 39,324 at Dodger Stadium) and be able to execute.”

Reliever Chris Stratton, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning Tuesday night. He threw 1 2/3 on Wednesday, including 10 strikes among his 13 pitches and the fly ball that Reynolds turned into two outs.

Then, there was the offense. Reynolds, who had been struggling to keep his batting average above .200, was 2 for 3 with two walks and two RBIs.

“He’s starting to look more like himself,” Shelton said. “I think free and easy is a good way (to describe his current approach).

“When Bryan goes through times when he struggles, he tries to force things and do too much. We talk about him maybe being over-aggressive at the plate. It looks like he’s just letting the game come to him. And he’s so talented that when it comes to him, he really has good at-bats.”

The other noteworthy element in the victory was Castro coming off the bench when second baseman Josh VanMeter left with an injury. He hit a 413-foot home run — after showing bunt — also bringing home Chavis, who had doubled to lead off the eighth. Castro added a two-run single in the ninth, giving him his first four RBIs of the season.

“Making big-time plays in big-time situations,” Reynolds said, offering an overview of the game.

“Every game we’re going to come in and battle and fight,” he said. “I think we showed that this series. It would be easy to come off the San Diego series (when the Pirates lost two close games) and be in a daze after just missing it. But we came back and battled like we did and got the sweep. It’s big.”

Added Shelton: “I think it just shows them they can play with anybody. It just shows them it’s a baseball game and they need to take all the external things out of it and just focus on the game.”