Pirates end homestand with dominant win over Dodgers

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their dominant start to the 2023 season by downing the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-2, on Thursday. Not only did they earn another series win, but they pushed their record to 18-8, which is the best in the National League and second best in MLB.

Mitch Keller fell behind early after giving up a two-run single to David Peralta in the first, but he settled down and earned the win after striking out a career-high 10 hitters over six innings. Duane Underwood Jr., Jose Hernandez and David Bednar battened down the hatches with three innings of shutout relief.

The Pirates gained the upper hand in the bottom of the first after singles by Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski, along with a sacrifice fly by Rodolfo Castro, put them ahead 3-2. Castro and Connor Joe then padded the lead in the sixth with back-to-back home runs.

Both finished with two RBI while Reynolds went 2-for-4 with a double.

The Pirates have won nine of their last 10 games and are 10 games over .500 for the first time since the 2015 season.

They look to keep the momentum rolling on Friday as they open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals on the road. Rich Hill gets the start for Pittsburgh while ex-Pirate Chad Kuhl goes for the Nats.