Phillies return home looking to finish off Battle of Pennsylvania against Pirates

Fresh off a 5-2 road trip including quite a few late-night fireworks, the Philadelphia Phillies are set to host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a four-game series, concluding the 2026 version of the Battle of Pennsylvania. The Phillies (47-37) swept the Pirates (42-42) last month in Pittsburgh. At the time, both teams hovered around the .500 mark on the season. Since then, the Phillies have increased their record to 10 wins over .500 while the Pirates have stagnated.

The Phillies and Pirates have a four-game series with Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday scheduled for 6:40 p.m. starts. Thursday will feature a 12:35 p.m. getaway day matinee.

Probable pitchers

Just like in May, the third matchup is the must-watch of the series as revered aces Zack Wheeler and Paul Skenes go head-to-head. Wheeler has been dominant throughout the month of June, pitching for a 1.71 ERA over 31.2 innings across five starts. He struck out 34 batters on that stretch and most recently kept the Mets to one run in seven innings on Friday.

Skenes, meanwhile, has lost a bit of his form since that start against the Phillies. At the time, his season ERA was at 1.98 and has increased by over 50% since then. The ace of the Pirates kept opposing teams scoreless on four occasions early in the season but has allowed at least one run in every outing since facing the Phillies. Most recently, he allowed four runs in what would be a Pirates loss against the Reds on Friday.

The trio, led by Marsh, has made their presence known in the Phillies’ lineup in June. Marsh leads the team with 33 hits and a .327 average while Stott and Bohm have each had their moments in the limelight as well.

With the second stage of All-Star voting beginning Monday at noon, any breakout performance on the week just might be enough to sway the votes in the trio’s (formerly known as the Daycare) direction.

The Pirates, meanwhile, have no finalists for the starting lineup of the All-Star Game. Second baseman Brandon Lowe is having a strong offensive season with a team-leading 20 home runs while Nick Gonzalez and Bryan Reynolds led the Pirates with 86 hits each, but none of them received enough attention in the popular vote.

While it would not be surprising if one of them makes an appearance on the All-Star roster as a reserve, it is more likely that Skenes, the defending NL Cy Young winner, makes his third All-Star roster on pedigree alone, regardless of his recent struggles.

Speaking of fireworks, the Phillies will have a little extra atmosphere behind them this week. Tuesday and Wednesday are Xfinity Fireworks Nights at Citizens Bank Park, giving fans another reason to pack the ballpark as the Phillies look to keep climbing before the holiday weekend.