Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler look elite as Phillies sweep Paul Skenes and Pirates
Much of this past offseason was spent discussing whether Bryce Harper and/or Zack Wheeler could still perform at an elite level. Sunday, both did, as the Phillies defeated Paul Skenes and company 6-0 to complete a weekend sweep of the Buccos.
The Phillies got the scoring started in the top of the fifth inning when Justin Crawford plated Adolis García with an RBI groundout off of Skenes. Later in the frame, Trea Turner extended the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single that scored J.T. Realmuto.
In the sixth inning, the Phillies added onto their lead with Bryce Harper’s second homer in as many days, this one a 401-foot shot off of Skenes. Harper now has 12 homers this season:
Bryson Stott would double before the sixth inning was out, bringing home both Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh to give the Phillies a 5-0 lead:
All five runs were charged to Skenes, who allowed six hits and struck out seven batters over five-plus innings of work Sunday. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner’s ERA spiked from 1.98 to 2.62 with an uncharacteristically poor performance Sunday.
Meanwhile, Wheeler pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and striking out eight. Wheeler has a 1.99 ERA to show for his first five starts since returning from a blood clot/thoracic outlet decompression surgery.
Before the afternoon was out, Stott added a solo home run off of Dennis Santana in the top of the eighth inning:
With the victory, the Phillies improve to 24-23, climbing back above .500 for the first time since they were 6-5 on April 7. Since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager, the Phillies have a 15-4 record.
The Phillies will return home on Monday, welcoming Terry Francona’s Cincinnati Reds to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series. Nick Lodolo (0-1, 8.68 ERA and 7.49 FIP across 9 1/3 innings) will face off with Andrew Painter (1-4, 6.21 ERA and 4.82 FIP over 37 2/3 innings).
Read More Phillies Content At OnPattison
- Phillies sign former top prospect to minor-league contract
- Phillies Nuggets: Edmundo Sosa is back in left field, perhaps with more of a leash this time
- What will Donnie Baseball look like? Mattingly gives some indication of what to expect
- Dave Dombrowski acknowledges Phillies tried to hire Alex Cora as manager
- Trea Turner gives raw thoughts on Rob Thomson’s firing
- Phillies reportedly signing 17-year-old Korean pitching prospect
- MLB announces 2026 All-Star Week Philadelphia schedule
- Jonathan Bowlan has the most unique entrance song in Phillies history, and it fits him perfectly
- What is the Phillies’ uniform schedule?
- 0-99: The greatest Phillies player in the history of every number
