Phillies Sweep Pirates With a Statement 6-0 Win Over Paul Skenes
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, right, rounds the bases past Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, left, after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
What looked like a natural pitchers’ duel coming in held up for four innings, until the Phillies opened the flood gates, scoring six runs for a clean sweep in Pittsburgh, with a 6-0 win.
When looking at the schedule and the pitching matchup, everyone is expecting a pitching duel, and coming off of a Cristopher Sanchez masterpiece, the question wasn’t whether the Phillies pitching would continue, but rather could the offense get anything started against one of the premier pitchers in the National League?
Through the first four innings, the starting aces, Zack Wheeler and Paul Skenes, had the exact same line; they had five strikeouts and had only given up one hit each. To say they were in control is an understatement. In the fifth inning, the Phils manufactured two runs off of Skenes to take a 2-0 lead. Bryce Harper led off the sixth with a solo home run into center.
In the sixth inning, the Phillies kept their foot on the gas and chased Skenes from the game, ending the ace matchup with the Phils breaking the game open with a Bryson Stott double with the bases loaded to bring the score to 5-0. All five runs were charged to Skenes, making this only the fourth time in his career that Skenes is charged with five earned runs, the second time this season.
Just to be safe, Stott hit a laser beam line drive into the right field seats to add on an insurance run. This gave the Phils a 6-0 lead, which ended up being the final score.
Ace Matchup Goes to the Phils
This matchup was one of the most anticipated matchups of the early season; the interstate rivals sent their aces to the mound on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. Through the first four innings, it looked like it would be a long day for the offenses, but the Phillies were doing the little things against the Pirates ace, which culminated with Skenes pitching into hitters’ counts, and the Phils doing their homework, and staying within the plan against Skenes.
There was a moment in the sixth where Brandon Lowe hit a long fly to right, which was initially called a home run, but on a crew chief’s review, it was determined that the fan who caught the ball reached over, and Lowe had to go back to second, preserving Wheeler’s scoreless outing. Alec Bohm saved another run in the seventh with a masterful defensive play, which kept the score sheet clean, giving him seven scoreless innings to add to Sanchez’s nine in Game 2 of the series.
Phils Break Skenes Scoreless Streak
In the fifth inning, the Phils took full advantage of Skenes going deeper into counts. Going into the fifth, the Phils had five at-bats that went to three-ball counts, and strung together good plate appearances. Not only did Adolis Garcia work the first walk Skenes has allowed in over a month. Don Mattingly knew that not only base runners would be at a premium but scoring chances would be few and far between, so he sent Garcia and J.T. Realmuto singled putting runners at first and third, and Justin Crawford jumped on the first pitch and hit a flair to short, but only a incredible play by Konnor Griffin saved a run with a fielders choice out, scoring Garcia and giving the Phils the early lead.
This ended Skenes’ scoreless streak at 20-2/3 innings. The Phils added another run in that inning, and three more in the next inning, with all of the runs going on the line of Skenes. The biggest change for the Phils in this game is that they diagnosed early on that Skenes was struggling slightly and worked counts deeper, not only giving them a better chance to lock in on a particular pitch but also driving up his pitch count. This plan was executed to perfection and chased out Skenes in the sixth inning.
Phillies Offense Powers the Phillies to a Win and Sweep
The Phillies came into this series two games under .500, but with a chance to leave Pittsburgh over for the first time since the first week of the season. With the pitching matchup, it was a coin flip if that would be the case, but the offense continued to play well, even against one of the premier pitchers in the game. Since Mattingly took over, the Phils have a +36 run differential and, with this sweep, have moved above the .500 mark, giving them solid control of second in the NL East, behind one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Atlanta Braves.
While the home runs will make the most noise, the manufacturing of runs by the Phils to get the big hitters into situations where pitchers have to come in to the big hitters, giving Harper and Kyle Schwarber better pitches to hit. If you want to see this in action, look no further than Bohm, who had two solid hits and kept the line moving, giving him eight games in a row with a hit; he has 13 hits over that time. When you combine this improved offense and the Phils team ERA at 1.90 over the last eight games, the Phillies look like a night and day different team than they did early on. This win capped off the first sweep of the Pirates since 2022, and the first time the Phils have had back-to-back shutouts since July 2022.
With the Reds coming to Philly, the Phils are looking to stay hot with their seventh straight series win in a row.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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