Phillies Pummel Paul Skenes; Marsh and Turner Stay Hot

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies pummeled reigning National League Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes for eight runs on Wednesday, July 1, continuing their dominance of the 24-year-old right-hander in a 10-6 win.

The Phillies (49-38) tagged Skenes for five runs in May, tied for the second-worst mark of his career. Alec Bohm wore a pitch, Bryson Stott singled and Gabriel Rincones Jr. walked to start a five-run second inning. Justin Crawford hit into a fielders’ choice to third, but Bohm and Stott came home on a throwing error. Trea Turner made the most of the opportunity, hitting a three-run bomb four pitches later.

Pittsburgh got two runs back against Zack Wheeler in the top of the third, but Brandon Marsh maintained the Phillies’ breathing room with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. Bryce Harper doubled home two more runs in the fourth on a play that Pirates’ left fielder Tyler Callihan failed to keep in front of him.

Wheeler started struggling in the fifth inning, his pitch count well into the nineties: manager Don Mattingly decided to leave him in after a mound visit with two on and two out, but Wheeler gave up a one-run single on his 104th and final pitch. Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus entered and hit two batters, adding another run to Wheeler’s final line: the veteran right-hander fanned 10 batters across 4.2 innings, allowing four runs.

The Pirates scraped two more runs across against Seth Johnson in the seventh, but Orion Kerkering got Philadelphia out of the jam. Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer in the eighth, giving the Phillies enough cushion to dodge a save scenario. Closer Jhoan Durán came out to stretch regardless, firing a scoreless ninth after going two days without game action.