The Pirates' win streak ended July 5, 2025, in a 1-0 loss to the Mariners. Luis Castillo outdueled Mike Burrows in a classic pitchers' duel to shut out Pittsburgh.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
All good things must come to an end. The Pirates' sizzling six-game winning streak was extinguished Saturday night in Seattle, as the bats went cold in a frustrating 1-0 loss to the Mariners. In a classic pitchers' duel, the Bucs simply couldn't solve Mariners ace Luis Castillo, wasting a strong scoreless start from Mike Burrows and getting shut out for the first time in July.
The Pirates managed just two hits and were shut out for the first time in July, snapping a six-game winning streak.
You can't win if you don't score. The Pirates learned that the hard way at T-Mobile Park. Starter Mike Burrows was brilliant, navigating five scoreless innings while striking out six. He bent but didn't break, working around three hits and four walks to keep the game deadlocked. But the offense offered zero support against a locked-in Luis Castillo, who mowed down eight Pirates over seven masterful innings, allowing just two singles. The game's lone run came in the sixth, when an RBI double by Ben Williamson off reliever Caleb Ferguson proved to be the difference. Even when the Bucs made good contact, like an Andrew McCutchen drive in the first, Julio Rodriguez was there to make a spectacular catch at the wall, summing up a night where nothing went right.
While the big league club was struggling to score, the future of the organization was putting on a show. The Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Pirates' High-A affiliate, made history over the holiday weekend by throwing a nine-inning perfect game on July 4th—the first in the minors since 2017. Not to be outdone, top prospect Bubba Chandler continued his stellar season in Triple-A, tossing six dominant, scoreless innings for Indianapolis. It's a powerful reminder that while losses like Saturday's are tough, the pitching pipeline in Pittsburgh is overflowing with elite talent.
Forget the loss. Today is a new day, and it's Paul Skenes Day. The rookie phenom (4-7, 2.03 ERA) gets the ball in the crucial series finale against Seattle's George Kirby. Skenes is looking to bounce back from a tough-luck loss his last time out and play the role of stopper for his club. When your ace is on the mound, you always have a chance to wash away the taste of a bad loss. A series win is still on the table, and there's no one Pirates fans would rather see on the hill with the game on the line.
The loss stings, but Saturday's defeat feels more like a blip than a trend. The starting pitching continues to impress, and the farm system is churning out high-end talent that promises a bright future. Now, the team has a chance to prove its resilience. With the electric Paul Skenes on the mound for the rubber match, the Pirates have the ultimate stopper ready to get them back in the win column and secure a huge series victory on the West Coast. Don't miss it.
