Pirates Dealt Big Reality Check in Sweep by Phillies
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates simply didn't have what they needed in their recent series vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park.
The Pirates suffered a sweep against their in-state rival, with one game they never should've lost and the other two games they were not close in, making for a miserable weekend for the home fans.
It drops their record to 24-23 overall, 13-13 at home and 8-7 in the month of May, which, while not terrible, still has them in a dangerous spot at this point of the season.
The Pirates realized a few things this series that they'll need to adjust to and fix, before they end up on a downwards spiral that wrecks their campaign.
Can't Blow Winnable Games
The Pirates were excellent to start off their series opener on May 15, scoring six runs in the third inning and leading 8-3 after six innings.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe hit two home runs for his third multi-home run game of the season and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna crushed a three-run home run into the Pirates bullpen, as the offense was doing what they'd hope they would do.
The Pirates also had a good showing from right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft, who threw 6.2 innings, but then the bullpen came in and had their struggles throughout.
Pirates left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery would give up a two-run home run to Kyle Schwarber to make it 8-5 in the seventh inning, fellow southpaw Gregory Soto allowed three runs to tie the game up at 8-8 and then right-handed reliever Dennis Santana gave up four straight hits and three runs to make it 11-8 to the Phillies, who would end up winning 11-9.
It was a poor loss for the Pirates, who have wasted some leads in games that they should've ended up victorious.
Two of thes games include going up 5-0 and 6-2 in an eventual 7-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 12 and holding leads of 2-0, 4-2 and 6-4 in 7-6 defeat in extra innings to the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 10.
Pittsburgh needs their bullpen to hold onto leads, especially in a defeat like this one, that they just can't sustain this season, particularly with aspirations of making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
Lineup Falters Against Elite Pitching
The Pirates, if they end up making the postseason, will have to face some great pitchers that will challenge all nine batters in their lineup.
Pittsburgh couldn't do much of anything in the final two games of the series, losing 6-0 on May 16 and then 5-0 in the series finale on May 17.
The Pirates were baffled by Phillies left-handed starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, who threw a complete game in the second contest of the series and struckout a career-high 13 batters.
Phillies right-handed starting pitcher Zack Wheeler did much of the same in the series finale, allowing just four hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.
The Pirates deserve some leeway, as Sánchez finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2025 and Wheeler could've won it had he not had a season-ending injury.
Both pitchers are amongst the best in baseball and will keep the Phillies going all season, which was always going to be tough for the Pirates.
Still, the Pirates have to find ways to put up better showings against these kinds of pitchers and this series showed them how far they have to go to do just that.
Paul Skenes Is Human After All
Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes came into his start in the series finale vs. the Phillies with back-to-back outings of him throwing eight scoreless innings and just two hits in each start.
Skenes had a perfect game going into the fifth innings in both games, first vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 6 and then vs. the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park on May 12, where he also had a no-hit bid going into the seventh inning.
He was also dominant against the Phillies to start out with, striking out the side in the first inning and not giving up a hit until the fourth inning.
Things started to unravel for Skenes after that, as he allowed his first walk in more than 39 innings in the fifth inning and then two hits, eventually turning into two runs.
Skenes then allowed a leadoff home run to Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper in the sixth inning and two more hits, before being taken out of the game for Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Isaac Mattson.
Mattson gave up two runs on a bases-loaded double, both of which ended up on Skenes final line.
Skenes tied his career-high with five earned runs allowed over five innings, with five hits and walk allowed, seeing his ERA shoot up to 2.62.
There's not doubt Skenes has been brilliant this season, but this start will give show him that he'll have to sharpen up at times and that the Pirates can't always assume he'll have an incredibly outing each time he takes the mound.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.