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The Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their series finale on Thursday. With the series split at one apiece, the Pittsburgh Pirates outmuscled the Dodgers to win 6-2.
Starting pitcher Mitch Keller was impressive in his outing on Thursday. He pitched six innings, giving up just two runs and striking out ten batters. On the offensive side of things, batters 1-7 all successfully got a hit for Pittsburgh.
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The win moves the Pirates to 18-8, the best record in the entire National League. This is something that nobody could have predicted at the beginning of the season.
What's even more impressive is that the team is still on a hot streak despite losing their elite shortstop, Oneil Cruz. Cruz fractured his ankle in early April and isn't expected to return for four months.
"I can not overstate how amped I am about this team," one fan tweeted.
"I'm starting to believe that this team may be for real" another fan tweeted.
The Pittsburgh Pirates' series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers was a statement win. Nobody in the league can say that Pittsburgh only beats up on bad teams. They just took down a playoff contender and their ace, Julio Urias.
Pittsburgh fans are ecstatic about their team's early success, but can you blame them? They've had to watch sub-optimal baseball for a few seasons now. It's great that they have a fun and exciting team once again.
Pittsburgh Pirates now move their attention to the Washington Nationals
After their series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Pittsburgh Pirates will face the Washington Nationals for a three-game series. Rich Hill will get the ball for the Pirates, while the Nationals will turn to Chad Kuhl.
Going into Thursday, the Nationals have a 9-14 record. They're not expected to compete for much this season. This series could help extend the Pirates' lead in the division if they don't overlook Washington.
Pittsburgh holds a 1.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. Another team that has been on the rise in the division is the Chicago Cubs, who have a 13-10 record and sit in third place.
The National League Central may be a division that fans will want to watch. It could get really competitive down the stretch.
