Pirates Sweep Phillies with 2-1 Victory Behind Skenes and McCutchen

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 2-1 win on Sunday. Paul Skenes again pitched into the eighth inning, contributing to the team’s success before Andrew McCutchen came through with a go-ahead single in the eighth.

Skenes lowered his earned run average (ERA) to 1.88 while maintaining a record of 4-6. The 23-year-old ace scattered two hits and struck out seven batters, allowing only one unearned run over 7 2/3 innings. He exited the game to applause before Braxton Ashcraft, who secured the final four outs for his first major league win, took over on the mound.

Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies began the Pirates’ eighth inning by walking Oneil Cruz. McCutchen then hit a broken-bat single to right, enabling Cruz to score after a slight stumble around third base. The victory marks the Phillies’ fifth consecutive loss and their ninth in ten games.

Despite recent struggles, Skenes has shown incredible consistency, allowing no more than six hits in any of his 37 major league appearances. His previous outing included a strong performance against Houston, where he allowed just one run in eight innings.

Sánchez recorded nine strikeouts but surrendered two runs during his seven innings of work, the first of which came from an RBI double by Jared Triolo in the second inning. Ashcraft’s entrance was met with some boos as the crowd reacted to the substitution, but he effectively closed out the game by getting Alec Bohm to ground into a double play.

The Pirates will move forward with RHP Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.27) on the mound for their next matchup against the Miami Marlins, while the Phillies are set to start RHP Zack Wheeler (6-2, 2.96 ERA) as they face the Cubs.