The Philadelphia Phillies have spent stretches of this season waiting for the lineup to fully come alive. Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh have done plenty of the heavy lifting, but the rest of the order hasn’t always matched that pace.
Lately, though, that picture has changed. The supporting cast has started to chip in, and on this night it was strong enough to flatten one of baseball’s biggest names in Paul Skenes.
With the series split at one win apiece entering Game 3 of the four-game set, Skenes got the ball for Pittsburgh against Zack Wheeler. It looked like a premium pitching matchup on paper. Instead, the first five innings turned into a slugfest, with the two offenses combining for 12 runs, 11 earned, against the star starters.
Philadelphia wasted no time taking advantage of a costly mistake in the second inning. Justin Crawford hit into a force out, but Nick Gonzales’ error allowed him to reach second base. That turned what should have been a clean out in a bases-loaded spot into a two-run swing for the Phillies.
Then Trea Turner kept rolling. He has been heating up over the last two weeks, and he stayed locked in by launching his 10th home run of the season to push Philadelphia out to a 5-0 lead.
The Pirates answered in the third. Henry Davis went deep for his seventh homer of the year off Wheeler, and Bryan Reynolds followed with an RBI single to trim the deficit.
Philadelphia responded right back. Marsh added his 15th home run of the season with a solo shot, and then Harper delivered a double in the fourth that brought home Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Turner.
By the time Skenes exited after the fourth inning, his night had gone sideways. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner gave up six hits and two walks, and he was charged with eight runs, seven earned.
Home runs have usually been one of the areas where Skenes has kept hitters in check, but that hasn’t held true in 2026. After Philadelphia left the yard twice against him, he’s now allowed 11 home runs, matching the most he’s given up in a single season of his career.
When the Phillies’ offense looks like this, they are a tough lineup to slow down.
In Other News...
Phillies Send Down A Starter Right After He Earned Another Look
The Phillies are making another adjustment to their pitching mix as the All-Star break approaches, optioning Andrew Painter and right-hander Alan Rangel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Rangel had just earned a longer look in the rotation, and his recent turn gave the club a chance to see how he might fit if they needed another starter down the stretch.
Philadelphia only has to cover the back end of the rotation one more time before the break, and a bullpen game remains in play for next week. Even with the move back to Lehigh Valley, Rangel still looks like a pitcher the Phillies could lean on again later this summer if the need arises. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Trying Another Bullpen Fix Fans Have Seen Before
After splitting a four-game series with the Pirates, the Phillies turned their attention to a three-game set with the Royals and made another bullpen adjustment along the way. Alan Rangel was sent back to the minors, and Tanner Banks was recalled to give the relief group another left-handed option as the club keeps searching for more stability in the middle innings.
Banks has been through this kind of reset before, and the Phillies are clearly hoping a return to the majors helps him settle in. His season has been marked by a 5.86 ERA and control issues, which have made his outings harder to trust, but the organization is giving him another chance to clean things up while the bullpen continues to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Could Steal Philadelphias All-Star Spotlight From The Phillies
Philadelphia is set to host the 2026 NL All-Star Game, and that alone should make the week feel like a showcase for the home club. But one early projection from Bleacher Report suggests the spotlight could tilt in an unexpected direction, with Atlanta forecast to arrive in town as the leagues biggest All-Star contingent. For a Phillies team that expects to be part of the center of the summer baseball conversation, it is the kind of wrinkle that would make the event feel a little less like a homecoming and a little more like a challenge.
Zachary D. Rymers prediction has the Braves sending seven players to the game, a total that would lead the National League if it holds up. The list also comes with some built-in debate about how the roster would be chosen, since not every projected Atlanta name looks like a lock on merit. Philadelphia, meanwhile, is forecast to have a strong showing of its own, but the broader picture is clear enough already: if this projection proves accurate, the All-Star spotlight in Philly could end up shining just as brightly on the visitors as on the team that calls the city home. [Read more 🡒]