Takeaways: Pirates Offense is Red Hot
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PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Pirates faced a tough Philadelphia Phillies team at Citizens Bank Park for a long, four-game series on the road.
The Pirates managed to split the series, taking the series opener 11-7 on June 29 and the series finale 6-1 on July 2, while losing the middle games, 8-0 on June 30 and 10-6 on July 1.
Pittsburgh showed some great things on offense and resiliency throughout the series vs. their in-state rival, but also left much to be desired on the pitching front at times.
The Pirates are now 44-44 overall and still within their ultimate goal of making the postseason, just 2.5 games out of the National League Wild Card Race.
Pirates Offense Proves Worth Once Again
The Pirates trailed 5-0 through three innings vs. the Phillies in the series opener and easily could've let things get worse, but they didn't let that happen whatsoever.
Pittsburgh rallied back to take an 8-5 lead, with a six-run fifth inning, and eventually got the win 11-8. their best victory of the season.
The Pirates struggled in the second game against NL Cy Young Award candidate in Phillies left-handed starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, but almost came back in the third game, making it an 8-6 game after it was 8-2, and found offense late in the series finale.
Pirates Hitting vs. Phillies
Player | Hits (At-Bats) | Batting Average |
|---|---|---|
Jake Mangum | 6 (12) | .500 |
Esmerlyn Valdez | 7 (15) | .467 |
Nick Gonzales | 7 (15) | .467 |
Endy Rodríguez | 4 (11) | .364 |
Ryan O'Hearn | 4 (15) | .267 |
Brandon Lowe | 3 (12) | .250 |
Konnor Griffin | 3 (14) | .214 |
Bryan Reynolds | 3 (17) | .176 |
Henry Davis | 1 (6) | .167 |
Jared Triolo | 2 (13) | .154 |
Marcell Ozuna | 1 (7) | .143 |
Center Fielder Jake Mangum and third baseman Nick Gonzales got the Pirates on base with a combined 13 hits, while rookie Esmerlyn Valdez continued his tear yet again.
Endy Rodríguez showed off his power with two home runs, including a three-run home run to the put the Pirates up 11-7 in the ninth inning of the series opener.
The veterans in Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn had timely hitting and both catcher Henry Davis and utility man Jared Triolo hit home runs, the first in 2026 for Triolo.
It was another display of the Pirates having their entire lineup produce from the plate and proved again that they are one of the best offenses in baseball.
Esmerlyn Valdez is a Crucial Part of the Pirates Lineup
The Pirates aren't afraid of giving their young players big roles and Valdez is someone who has taken advantage of his opportunities.
Valdez had seven hits in 15 at-bats vs. the Phillies, with a double, his first MLB triple, a home run, five RBI and three walks to three strikeouts, good for a slash line of .467/.526/.867 for an OPS of 1.393.
He hit a two-run home run in the series opener, getting the Pirates on the board down 5-2 in the fourth inning, scored off an error to go up 8-5, hit his double and a walk.
Valdez had two singles and a walk the second game and a single in the third game, still producing in the defeats.
He excelled again the series finale, with an RBI-single in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1, an RBI-triple in the seventh inning to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead, scored off a single, then hit a sac fly to make it 5-1 in the eighth inning.
Valdez has shown himself as a catalyst in the lineup, something that you would normally see from a veteran, as he can hit for more than just power, showing great contact and smart decisions at the plate to get on base and drive runs anyway he can.
He also made some nice plays in right field and displayed his value defensively, making him a key part of the Pirates lineup.
It was a great series from Valdez and one that the Pirates rewarded him for, putting him second in the lineup in the second game and then in the cleanup spot (fourth) the last two games.
Valdez followed up his great series vs. the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park, June 26-28, with this one and he's proven to the Pirates that he isn't someone they can keep in the dugout anymore.
Starting Pitching Up-and-Down vs. Phillies
The Pirates starting pitching had some good moments, but was ultimately short of showing their best stuff vs. the Phillies
Braxton Ashcraft gave up five earned runs in the series opener, which included a career-high three home runs for four of those runs, but retired 11 of the last 12 batters that he faced, six of them by strikeout.
Bubba Chandler only gave up two runs through six innings in the second game, and even got the furthest he has in a major league outing at 6.1 innings, but also gave up a walk and two hits in the inning, with three runs scoring after right-handed relief pitcher Isaac Mattson came in, as he finished with five earned runs allowed.
Jared Jones only allowed one run and tied his season-high of six strikeouts in the series finale, but threw 73 pitches over four innings, an outing he could've been more efficient in.
Pittsburgh has promise in their rotation, with Ashcraft, Chandler and Jones all showing that, but this series showed that they are still a little bit away from having that great start that they are looking for.
It's still encouraging that Ashcraft came back the way he did, Chandler has pitched better over the past month and Jones bounced back from a rough outing vs. the Cincinnati Reds on June 27.
The Pirates will need more from their three young arms and this series showed the good and bad from each of them.
Paul Skenes' Slump Becoming Worry for Pirates
The only start that wasn't good at all this series for the Pirates was from Paul Skenes in the third game, as he gave up career-highs of eight runs and seven earned runs, only going four innings in the worst outing of his career.
Skenes gave up five runs in the second inning, two runs off an error from Gonzales throwing off Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm's back, and then three runs off a home run to shortstop Trea Turner.
He gave up another home run to left fielder Brandon Marsh in the third inning and also a two-run double to first baseman Bryce Harper, which Pirates left fielder Tyler Callihan just missed from making the inning-ending out.
Skenes didn't get help from his defense at times, but he also put himself in tough situations with walks and hits that hurt his cause.
It's now nine starts for Skenes where he hasn't had the same effectiveness, posting a 5.36 ERA and with the Pirates not winning any of these games.
Skenes has to pitch at his best for the Pirates to make a push for the postseason. Maybe not at the sub-2.00 ERA he posted the past two seasons, but much better than what he's served up recently.
He has had good starts this season, with a 1.98 ERA over his first eight starts, and can still dominate opposing hitting, but it's imperative he gets out of this slump as quickly as he can.
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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.