Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Marco Gonzales delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
PITTSBURGH — Rookie Tyler Phillips gave up four hits in six innings, and the Philadelphia Phillies avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.
Phillips (2-0) struck out three and walked one. It was the right-hander’s third game and second start since being called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on July 5.
“You go out there and every game matters here,” Phillips said. “Not saying any games in the minor leagues don’t, but every game here really matters. I think that I just go out there and I’m in full compete mode. It’s just going out and just trying to put hitters back in the dugout.”
The Phillies, who had lost three straight and four of their last five games, ended the Pirates’ winning streak at six. Pittsburgh was shut out for the seventh time this season.
“It was big,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. “We needed to get back on the winning side. I think that makes everybody feel good. We’ll have a happy flight and go into Minnesota and start all over again.”
The Pirates outscored opponents 32-15 during their winning streak. They trailed the Phillies 7-4 entering the seventh inning Friday but won 8-7 on an RBI single by Nick Gonzales in the ninth before winning again, 4-1, on Saturday.
“We played well against the best team in baseball,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. “We didn’t play great today. But to come back the first night, do what we did yesterday — you want to win every game but to win two of three against that team — we didn’t play great today but, overall, I thought we played well over the weekend.”
Alec Bohm led off the second inning with a single off Marco Gonzales (1-1), stopped at third on a double from Edmundo Sosa and put Philadelphia ahead on Weston Wilson’s sacrifice fly. Garrett Stubbs followed with an RBI single.
Gonzales lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Trea Turner hit an RBI single to right in the seventh inning after Oneil Cruz dropped the transition on what could have been an inning-ending double play. Kyle Schwarber then scored on a Bryce Harper groundball before Bohm added a fifth run with a single through the left side of the infield.
Nick Castellanos capped the scoring with a home run, his 14th of the season, off Josh Fleming in the ninth.
Pittsburgh’s best chance came in the third inning, when Andrew McCutchen singled with two outs and Bryan Reynolds walked in front of Cruz, who had three RBIs in each of the previous two games. Cruz struck out swinging on a Phillips’ 2-2 curveball in the dirt.
“Just staying within myself,” Phillips said. “Trusting the preparation that I’ve put in. You know the guys are going to push guys into scoring position, they’re going to try to score runs. That’s on me to just execute pitches and pitch to my strength rather than what his weaknesses may have been.”
UP NEXT
Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez (10-4, 2.76 ERA) is set to return Monday following low back spasms to make his first start since July 12, opposite Minnesota Twins RHP Bailey Ober (8-5, 4.14)
Pirates: RHP Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.46) will be called upon Monday to start a three-game series against the Cardinals. RHP Andre Pallante (4-4, 4.21) will go for St. Louis.
