Bubba Chandler goes six in shutout of Mets

Rafael Devers homered in the first. The other two runs came in the fifth in a rally that started with a double to right center that really ought to have been caught and then a Devers popup that dropped in shallow right for a single. So, that wasn’t much Chandler’s fault. Still, it was rather disturbing that Chandler got just one swing and miss all night. 88 pitches, 40 swings and one miss. He’ll take a 4.30 ERA into his next start against the White Sox.

Chandler struck out three in the outing as Pittsburgh couldn’t pull off the sweep. Their rotation has been up-and-down throughout 2026, but by most metrics, Chandler has been their best starter in the second half. He combines one of the group’s lowest walk rates with a favorable ground-ball rate. Still just 23 years old, he’ll draw the Giants at home next time out.

Chandler gave up his four runs on a two-run homer by Max Muncy in the first, and a two-run single by Mookie Betts two frames later. There were no other scoring plays, but damage done in a mediocre — at best — outing for the 23-year-old. The right-hander had pitched exceptionally well in August prior to Friday with a 2.16 ERA, but the Dodgers didn’t have much trouble against him. A chance to get back on track comes next week in San Diego against the Padres.

Chandler was solid in this one, allowing just one baserunner through his first three innings of work. He would make it through the first four innings without allowing a run, but gave up two runs in the fifth inning thanks to an RBI single by Andruw Monasterio and a sacrifice fly by Nick Sogard. Chandler has been allowed two earned runs or less in five of his last six starts and has tallied five or more strikeouts in all but one of those outings. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Tigers.

Chandler dealt with some traffic on the basepaths, but managed to hold Milwaukee off the scoreboard until an RBI single by Joey Ortiz with two outs in the fifth inning. He gave up another RBI single with two outs in the ensuing frame that led to his exit from the contest. He departed after striking out five and handing out four free passes. The 23-year-old former top prospect holds a pedestrian 4.49 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 98/61 K/BB ratio across 110 1/3 innings this season. He’s in line for a favorable matchup against the Mets on Saturday to finish off a two-start week.

Once again tonight, Chandler was quite good at limiting hard contact, but this still makes three times in four starts that he’s failed to complete five innings. He allowed eight hits despite giving up just five hard-hit balls. Chandler has definitely made real gains since the early part of the season, but it’s still not resulting in much fantasy value at all. He hasn’t won since June 25, and he’s just 3-8 on the season. He’ll likely face the Reds on Sunday.

Chandler departed a scoreless game, so it’s his third straight no-decision and he remains stuck on three wins for the year. There still isn’t much in the way of consistency here, but he does have a 3.74 ERA in his last eight starts, largely because he’s allowed only two homers. It’s dropped his season ERA from 5.05 to 4.47. He’ll face the Diamondbacks next week.

This will give Dennis Santana a little more time to cool off. Both teams have Thursday off, but they’ll play two tomorrow, with the makeup game starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT and the originally scheduled game being moved up from 1:35 to 1:05. Bubba Chandler and Will Warren had been scheduled to start tonight’s game. They should join Wednesday’s scheduled starters Mitch Keller and Gerrit Cole in pitching tomorrow, but the order might be changed up.

Chandler quieted the Brewers’ bats through four innings before giving up two runs on three hits in the fifth. With three walks and six strikeouts, he drove his pitch count up to 97 with two outs in the inning before he was replaced on the mound. The 23-year-old right-hander ends the first half with a 4.77 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and an 85/55 K/BB ratio across 94 1/3 innings.

Chandler also issued four walks on the afternoon and did not record a single strikeout. After starting the day with a pair of scoreless innings, he served up a two-run homer to Luis García Jr. in the third inning. After the Nats added a single run in the fourth, Chandler loaded the bases to start the fifth inning before handing a mess over to the bullpen, from which only one of those inherited runners ultimately scored. The 23-year-old righty got just two swings and misses on 86 pitches, posting a miserable CSW of 13 percent. He’ll carry an uninspiring 4.82 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 79/52 K/BB (89 2/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Brewers.