Maybe this was the weekend the Phillies finally started looking like themselves again.
Not perfect. Not unstoppable. But dangerous.
Three days at PNC Park changed the feel around this season. The Phillies erased a six-run deficit Friday night with a stunning ninth-inning comeback. Cristopher Sánchez authored a complete-game shutout Saturday. Then Sunday, they walked into a matchup against reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and methodically knocked him out of the game while Zack Wheeler looked every bit like the ace the Phillies believed could still anchor this rotation.
The result was a 6-0 victory over the Pirates and a three-game sweep that pushed the Phillies back over .500 at 24-23 for the first time since early April.
There are still 115 games remaining. The season will ultimately be judged in October. But for the first time in weeks, the Phillies looked like a club capable of reaching that stage with force behind it.
And Sunday showcased exactly why.
For the first two innings, Skenes looked overpowering. He struck out four of the first five hitters he faced and flashed the upper-90s fastball that has overwhelmed much of baseball since his arrival in Pittsburgh.
Then the Phillies adjusted.
They forced deeper counts. They got traffic on the bases. They turned one of baseball’s most dominant starters into a pitcher working under stress.
The breakthrough arrived in the fifth inning after Adolis García drew a walk — the first free pass Skenes had allowed since April 13. J.T. Realmuto followed with a single, continuing a needed offensive response after a difficult stretch at the plate, and Justin Crawford drove in the game’s first run with a groundout. Trea Turner followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.
An inning later, Bryce Harper delivered the swing that changed the afternoon completely.
Skenes left a sinker in the middle of the plate, and Harper demolished it into the bullpen in right-center field for his second home run in as many days. Harper’s emotional trip around the bases reflected the energy the Phillies carried throughout the weekend. He finished the series 6-for-15 with two home runs and repeatedly looked like the most dangerous hitter on the field.
The inning kept rolling from there.
Alec Bohm singled. Brandon Marsh doubled. Bryson Stott eventually added a two-run double that chased Skenes from the game before he could record an out in the sixth inning. By the time the dust settled, the Phillies had hung five earned runs on a pitcher who entered the afternoon with a 1.98 ERA.
Meanwhile, Wheeler kept carving through the Pirates lineup.
If there were lingering questions this spring about whether Wheeler could still resemble the elite version of himself following thoracic outlet decompression surgery, the right-hander continues answering them emphatically.
Wheeler worked seven shutout innings, allowed just four hits and struck out eight. He has now pitched into the seventh inning in three consecutive starts and continues to see his velocity climb as the weather warms. Perhaps most encouraging for the Phillies: Wheeler touched 98 mph Sunday afternoon.
That version of Wheeler changes the ceiling of this team.
The Phillies spent much of the offseason wondering whether both Harper and Wheeler could still perform at elite levels following injury concerns and heavy mileage. This weekend offered a reminder that when both stars are healthy and operating near their peak, the Phillies remain capable of overwhelming almost anyone.
And for one weekend in Pittsburgh, they did exactly that.
Bryson Stott added a solo home run in the eighth inning to complete the scoring as the Phillies secured their second consecutive shutout and continued a remarkable surge under interim manager Don Mattingly. Since Mattingly took over, the Phillies are 15-4.
Now they head home looking far different than they did two weeks ago — steadier, more confident and suddenly carrying momentum that feels legitimate.
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