The Pittsburgh Pirates evened their series with the Oakland Athletics, a game defined by pitching and two lone solo homers that supplied the offense. The win snapped a rough stretch for Pittsburgh and showcased the young arms the club is counting on as it finishes the season.
Rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler set the tone with a five-inning, one-hit outing that featured six strikeouts and no walks, routinely touching triple-digits on the radar and forcing hitters to chase offspeed offerings down in the zone. Chandler retired 15 of the 17 batters he faced and repeatedly got ahead with a high fastball that opened up his slider and changeup, turning a potentially tight game into a pitchers’ duel controlled by the home starter.
The Pirates needed little from their lineup: Nick Yorke opened the scoring with a two-out solo homer in the second, and Bryan Reynolds followed with a 416-foot solo blast to right-center in the third that doubled the lead and proved sufficient for the shutout. Those two swings accounted for the Pirates’ only runs and underscored how a timely long ball paired with strong pitching can decide a game.
After Chandler exited, fellow rookie Braxton Ashcraft tossed three perfect innings and piled up strikeouts before Dennis Santana came on to record a clean ninth and his 14th save of the year, preserving the one-hitter and sealing a compact, efficient victory for Pittsburgh.
The series rubber will feature Mike Burrows for the Pirates against Mitch Spence for Oakland, a matchup between two right-handers who have been serviceable but far from overpowering this season and one that could tilt on early command and bullpen usage. If Pittsburgh can get another strong early outing from its starter and a short, effective turn from the bullpen, the Bucs should be able to ride the same blueprint to a series win.