Diamondbacks 9, Pirates 0: Eduardo Rodriguez Deals as Arizona Piles on Late

The lead

May 5, 2026 - Phoenix - The Arizona Diamondbacks halted a staff-wide slump narrative with one dominant left-hander and one loud inning. Eduardo Rodriguez carried a no-hit bid into the fifth, finished seven innings with two hits, seven strikeouts, and three walks, and the Snakes blew the game open with a five-run sixth in a 9-0 whitewash of the Pittsburgh Pirates, per ESPN.

Geraldo Perdomo ripped a two-run double, Gabriel Moreno doubled home a run, Ketel Marte drove in another on a groundout, and Corbin Carroll capped the sixth with a sac fly—Pittsburgh reliever Yohan Ramirez was charged with all five runs while recording only one out.

How the game turned

Arizona jumped ahead 2-0 in the first on Adrian Del Castillo's sacrifice fly and Ildemaro Vargas' RBI double. Bubba Chandler (1-4) kept Pittsburgh close for five innings despite six walks, allowing only those two hits while fanning four—yet free passes fed the Diamondbacks' traffic early.

Rodriguez (3-0) did not allow a hit until Jared Triolo's two-out single in the fifth, by which point Chase Field already felt tilted. The sixth punished Pittsburgh's pen: once Ramirez entered, the inning spiraled into the five-run rally that made the shutout academic.

Off the field, Pittsburgh navigated suspensions stemming from a Devenski ejection episode from the Cincinnati series—manager Don Kelly served a one-game ban Tuesday while bench coach Kristopher Negron ran the club, per ESPN's notes.

Pitching and matchup notes

Rodriguez's outing mattered symbolically: Arizona entered with a 5.07 team ERA that led the National League in the wrong direction, per ESPN. Seven zeroes on the board—even with three walks—signals a staff capable of matching the lineup's volatility.

Ramirez's inability to strand inherited traffic turned a competitive game into a runway; Arizona's offense only needed one tidal inning to match the pitching breakthrough.

Bats that changed the board

Perdomo's double supplied the hardest contact of the sixth-inning surge, while Moreno and Marte turned leverage counts into crooked numbers Carroll finished with productive outs. Vargas—fresh off NL Player of the Month honors for March/April on ESPN's description—entered the night hitting .377 with a 1.051 OPS, anchoring table-setting at-bats the Pirates could not silence.

Triolo's single broke up the no-hit bid but could not ignite a rally against Rodriguez's mix.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

AthX Engine graded Arizona at 21 team FP on May 5, second on the slate, while Eduardo Rodriguez paced pitchers at 27 pitching FP. Shutouts concentrate fantasy value in the starter and the relievers who strand traffic—Ramirez's line hurt Pittsburgh fantasy users while lifting Arizona team totals. AthX Engine daily scoring is not dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Michael Soroka and Paul Skenes were scheduled for Wednesday, per ESPN—a contrast of styles after Rodriguez's veteran clinic. Pittsburgh needs cleaner relief sequences; Arizona hopes the ERA needle moves after a statement win at home.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, MLB Gameday, ESPN recap, Associated Press via ESPN, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*