The Pittsburgh Pirates wrapped up a brutal weekend in Seattle with a 1-0 loss on Sunday, marking their third consecutive shutout defeat at the hands of the Mariners. Despite another electric outing from rookie ace Paul Skenes—who struck out 10 over five innings and lowered his ERA to 1.94—the Pirates’ offense remained lifeless. The lone run came via a Randy Arozarena solo homer in the sixth off reliever Carmen Mlodzinski, and that was all Seattle needed. George Kirby stifled Pittsburgh’s bats with 6 1/3 scoreless innings, and Andres Muñoz closed the door for his 21st save.
The sweep was historically grim for Pittsburgh, who failed to score a single run across the entire three-game series, falling 6-0, 1-0, and 1-0. It’s the first time in Mariners franchise history they’ve posted three straight shutouts, and the Pirates now find themselves on the wrong side of a bizarre statistical anomaly: they’ve played in six consecutive shutouts, having blanked the Cardinals in three straight before this series. That streak ties a major league record, but the offensive drought in Seattle underscores a deeper concern—Pittsburgh’s bats have gone ice cold at the worst possible time.
The Pirates’ offensive woes in Seattle were a continuation of broader struggles at the plate. Over the three-game series, Pittsburgh managed just 10 total hits and struck out 31 times. Key contributors have gone ice cold: Oneil Cruz, despite his power potential, is batting just .210 on the season with 110 strikeouts in 281 at-bats. Ke’Bryan Hayes, typically a steady presence, is hitting .247 with only two home runs in 296 at-bats. Even veteran Andrew McCutchen, one of the few consistent bats, has cooled off, though he still holds a respectable .269 average.
The lack of production has been especially glaring from the bottom half of the lineup. Henry Davis is hitting just .198, while Joey Bart, despite a decent .243 average, has only one home run in 177 at-bats. The Pirates’ team-wide power outage was on full display in Seattle, where they failed to register a single extra-base hit in the final two games. With the All-Star break looming, Pittsburgh’s front office may need to consider lineup adjustments or external reinforcements if they hope to improve the offense in the second half.