It was MLB Rivalry Weekend this past weekend and the Phillies were in Pittsburgh at PNC Park to take on the Pirates. By the end of the weekend, Philadelphia had completed a convincing three-game sweep behind dramatic comebacks, dominant pitching, and an offense that finally appears to be finding its rhythm.
Aaron Nola got the ball for Philadelphia on Friday night, but it was another difficult outing for the veteran right-hander. Nola lasted just 3.2 innings, surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks while striking out two. Pittsburgh did most of its damage during a disastrous third inning, as Brandon Lowe and Marcell Ozuna each launched two-run homers to help build a 6-0 lead. Nola exited with the Phillies trailing 6-1, marking the third time in his last five starts that he allowed at least five runs. Through 45.2 innings this season, he now owns a 5.91 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, with 46 strikeouts and 18 walks.
Despite digging themselves into another early hole, the Phillies once again showed their resilience. Just one week after overcoming a six-run deficit, Philadelphia pulled off the feat again, this time completing the comeback victory.
Kyle Schwarber led the offensive charge, blasting two home runs to become the first player in MLB to reach 20 homers this season. Schwarber connected on a pair of two-run shots, one in the fifth inning and another in the seventh, while finishing the night with five RBIs. Bryce Harper also delivered a huge performance, collecting four hits, including a game-tying two-run single in the ninth inning.
The Phillies plated three runs in the ninth to erase the deficit. Gregory Soto issued a bases-loaded walk to Schwarber after a pitch challenge upheld the original call, forcing in Edmundo Sosa and setting the stage for Harper’s clutch tying hit moments later.
Philadelphia grabbed control in the 10th inning. Brandon Marsh ripped a go-ahead RBI double before Bryson Stott followed with a single. Rafael Marchán, who entered the game hitting just .074, then added a two-run single as the Phillies opened the inning with four straight hits to turn an 8-8 tie into an 11-8 advantage. The bullpen closed things out from there to secure an 11-9 win.
It was far from a clean performance, but this latest rally was another example of the resilience the Phillies have shown during this stretch under interim manager Don Mattingly.
Saturday’s win was nearly as impressive as Friday night’s comeback, though this one came without any late-game theatrics. Cristopher Sánchez was outstanding from the start, firing a complete-game shutout in a dominant performance. The left-hander scattered six hits across nine scoreless innings, struck out 13, didn’t issue a walk, and needed just 108 pitches to finish off the 6-0 victory.
The Phillies wasted little time giving Sánchez some early run support. In the first inning, Harper launched a towering 457-foot three-run homer that slammed off the batter’s eye in center field. Philadelphia added another run in the second on a Schwarber double, while Trea Turner chipped in offensively as well, finishing 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, walk, and two runs scored.
Sánchez has been in dominant form throughout May. The left-hander has not surrendered a run since his April 30 outing against San Francisco and has pitched at least seven innings in each of his three starts this month. His season ERA now sits at 1.82, and he has also worked at least five innings in 32 straight starts, the second-longest active streak in MLB.
With the victory, Philadelphia improved to 23-23 and climbed back to the .500 mark for the first time since April 13.
On Sunday, the Phillies completed the sweep in convincing fashion behind another dominant performance from their starting rotation. One day after Sánchez fired a complete-game shutout, Zack Wheeler took the ball and reminded everyone why he remains one of baseball’s premier aces.
Wheeler was electric from the start, overpowering hitters with some of his sharpest stuff of the season. His fastball averaged 96.1 mph, a noticeable jump from the 94.7 mph average he carried through his first four starts, an encouraging sign that he continues to look fully healthy following last year’s thoracic outlet decompression surgery. The right-hander cruised through seven scoreless innings, struck out eight, and lowered his ERA to 1.99 with another masterful outing.
The Phillies finally broke through against reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes after being held scoreless through the first three innings. Philadelphia tagged the Pirates ace for five earned runs, matching the highest total he has allowed in a major league start, over five-plus innings. Skenes surrendered six hits, struck out seven, walked one, and threw 92 pitches before exiting.
J.T. Realmuto helped spark the offense in the fifth inning with a one-out single before Justin Crawford brought home the game’s first run on an RBI groundout. Turner followed with an opposite-field RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the sixth inning, Harper launched his 11th home run of the season off Skenes to make it 3-0. Stott later added an RBI double before capping the afternoon with a solo homer in the eighth inning as the Phillies rolled to a 6-0 victory.
The win improved Philadelphia to 24-23 overall and continued the club’s remarkable turnaround under Mattingly. Since Mattingly took over, the Phillies have gone 15-4, with both the pitching staff and offense finding their rhythm after a difficult start to the season. Suddenly, there is real momentum building around this team and plenty for Phillies fans to be excited about.
The Phillies will return home Monday night to open a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
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