Pirates Shockingly Outplaying Star-Studded Dodgers During Pivotal Stretch

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers entered this season with wildly different expectations.

The Pirates finished last in the NL Central in 2024 at 76-86, while the Dodgers had the best record in baseball (98-64) and won the World Series. Pittsburgh began 2025 with one of MLB’s lowest payrolls, while Los Angeles has the highest after continuing to add to its star-studded roster last offseason.

In fact, the Dodgers’ $349.5 million payroll is over four times the Pirates’ $82.9 million payroll. The gap between them is larger than the payrolls of 25 MLB teams.

Given that, this week’s series between the two teams is a true David vs. Goliath matchup. Los Angeles leads the NL West and has one of the most talented rosters in baseball, while Pittsburgh is in last place again and headed towards a seventh straight losing season.

And yet, that didn’t stop the Pirates from beating the Dodgers in Tuesday’s series opener at PNC Park. Pittsburgh’s bats erupted for four runs off Clayton Kershaw in the bottom of the first, sparking a 9-7 victory over the defending World Series champs.

The @Pirates take the series opener over the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/QISK3LyHWw

— MLB (@MLB) September 3, 2025

While the Pirates’ win was an upset, it shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise. Pittsburgh’s actually been playing better baseball than Los Angeles for several months now.

Since the start of July, the Pirates are 26-27 and the Dodgers are 25-28. Since the All-Star Break, Pittsburgh’s gone 23-19 and Los Angeles has gone 20-21.

The Pirates have been especially hot lately, winning 10 of their last 14 games. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been inconsistent, going 10-11 over their last 21 games.

Pittsburgh’s young core is coming together, especially on the mound. Hampered by injuries, Los Angeles’ veteran squad has underperformed for much of the summer.

Given their recent success against the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and now the Dodgers, the Pirates are proving they can hang with the best teams in baseball — an encouraging sign for their rebuild as they look to turn the corner in 2026.

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