So here comes baseball’s brand-new creation — Rivalry Weekend — and what better way to christen it in Pennsylvania than with a throwback Keystone showdown: Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia. The 15-29 Pirates roll into Citizens Bank Park to face the 25-18 Phillies, a team still steaming after a series loss to the Cardinals, trying to keep pace with the Mets in the NL East.
And the Pirates? Let’s just say their bats haven’t made the trip.
Over the last 15 days — that’s 13 games — Pittsburgh has scored a grand total of 29 runs. That’s not a typo. That’s an average of 2.2 runs per game.
This is a team that’s looked stuck in April all season, outside of a six-game tease late that month when the offense briefly came to life. Since then? It’s been a long grind of strikeouts, grounders, and stranded runners.
The Phillies, meanwhile, despite a hiccup against St. Louis, are still very much in the hunt — sitting 2.5 games back of the Mets with a chance to get right against a struggling opponent. They're 14-8 at home, and they've hit more home runs this month than the Pirates have in the last three weeks.
So Rivalry Weekend begins — not with fists or fireworks, but maybe with a reminder that every now and then, geography and history are enough to give a series a little extra juice. Even if one side forgot to pack the offense.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: LHP Andrew Heaney (2-3, 3.15) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (1-0, 5.91)
Saturday: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 5.20) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.95)
Sunday: RHP Paul Skenes (3-4, 2.63) vs. LHP Christopher Sanchez (4-1, 2.91)
Saturday: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 5.20) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.95)
Sunday: RHP Paul Skenes (3-4, 2.63) vs. LHP Christopher Sanchez (4-1, 2.91)
Silent Castellanos
So let’s talk about big hits. Or the lack of them. The Phillies scored just four runs in the first two games of the series against the Cardinals, which means extra-base hits were about as rare as a quiet night on Broad Street. But tucked inside all that offensive scarcity? A Nick Castellanos hot streak that nobody seems to be talking about. Maybe we should change that.
He’s hitting .280. That’s not a misprint. Not a heat wave. That’s his highest average since 2021 - back when he was still mashing in Cincinnati.
Oh, and in this Cardinals series? He went 5-for-12 (.416), drove in a pair, scored a run, swiped a base, and — here's the kicker — struck out just once.
This is the same guy who once wore the collar with five strikeouts in one night back in April against the Braves. He's hitting .290 over the last 15 games with a .387 slugging percentage.
So maybe he's not just back. Maybe he's better.
And with the Phillies looking to keep pace in the NL East, a locked-in Castellanos might just be the biggest quietly loud story in the lineup right now.
Skenes Watch
So Paul Skenes isn’t replicating his rookie season. And social media — that calm, rational place — is in meltdown mode. Let’s all take a breath.
Last year, Skenes posted a 1.96 ERA over 133 innings. That’s not just good — that’s historic. Since 1969, only 24 pitchers have matched that combo. We're talking Maddux. Pedro. Nolan. Roger. Legends.
No rookie had pulled it off since Steve Rogers in 1973. And before that? 1920.
So expecting an instant encore? Unrealistic.
This year, Skenes has a 2.63 ERA in nine starts. The Pirates are 3-6 when he pitches — despite six quality starts. That’s not a Skenes problem. That’s a “please score some runs” problem.
Bottom line: Paul Skenes is still really, really good. Just not historically superhuman every time out.
