4 Biggest Takeaways From Phillies Series Sweep of Pirates

The Philadelphia Phillies played incredibly well against the Pittsburgh Pirates during their three-game series.

May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (right) greets second baseman Bryson Stott (5) crossing home plate on a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the eighth inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There may not be a hotter team in the MLB than the Philadelphia Phillies, who kept their positive momentum rolling against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Phillies went into PNC Park and dominantly swept their in-state rivals. It is the sixth consecutive series they have won, moving their record to 15-4 under Don Mattingly since he took over as interim manager from Rob Thomson after 28 tumultuous games to start the campaign.

Philadelphia has experienced a complete turnaround since the managerial change, getting back over the .500 mark with their victory in the series finale for the first time since April 7. Things are certainly clicking now for the team.

Here are four of the biggest takeaways for the Phillies from their sweep of the Pirates.

Pitching Staff Dominance

May 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2026 season, the pitching staff was expected to be the strength of Philadelphia’s team. Pittsburgh experienced that first-hand with the staff dominating from start to finish.

Outside of Aaron Nola, the rest of the pitchers who took the mound allowed only one earned run in 24.1 innings pitched. Tim Mayza was the only pitcher other than Nola to allow a run in the series.

Cristopher Sanchez threw a complete game no-hitter in Game 2 with 13 strikeouts, reaching statistical plateaus over a three-start span that only Clayton Kershaw has achieved. Zack Wheeler was also dominant in his start, providing the Phillies with arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball.

Alec Bohm Coming Alive

May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) prepares to take the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The 2026 season has not been a good one overall for the former All-Star third baseman. But he has started showing some signs of life recently, and he hit well against the Pirates.

Alec Bohm went 5-for-14, including two doubles. He didn’t draw a walk in the series, but struck out only once. Confidence in him is on the rise, getting moved into the cleanup spot for this series and responding accordingly.

Since being removed for a pinch hitter on May 9 against the Athletics and sitting on the bench for a few days, Bohm has recorded a hit in all eight games he has played in. A .406/.424/.688 slash line has been produced with two home runs, three doubles and five RBI. 

Aaron Nola Struggles

May 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The only pitcher on the Philadelphia staff who experienced any difficulties against Pittsburgh was Aaron Nola. He threw only 3.2 innings and was charged with six earned runs, serving up two home runs in the process.

Six hits total and three walks were issued in the brutal outing. His season-long numbers now sit at a 5.91 ERA and 1.55 WHIP across 45.2 innings. A 2.6 K/BB ratio is the lowest of his career, as Nola is looking like he doesn’t have much more in the tank to offer.

Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber Power Surge

May 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) is congratulated by first baseman Bryce Harper (3) after hitting a home run against the Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Phillies have a dominant 1-2 punch in their starting rotation and also have one in their lineup with designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper. They terrorized the Pirates’ pitching staff all weekend.

Schwarber, who made history reaching the 20-home run plateau, had a .286/.275/.786 slash line with two home runs and six RBI. Harper had a .500/.571/1.000 slash line, hitting two long balls himself with six RBI.

When they are performing at this high a level, Philadelphia is a tough team to beat.

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