Pirates Can’t Solve Sánchez, Fall 8-0 in Bubba Chandler’s Longest Start

Griffin Floyd |

Jun 30, 2026

Bubba Chandler, Pittsburgh Pirates — Photo provided by Matt Lynch

The Pittsburgh Pirates fell back to .500 on Tuesday, losing 8-0 in Philadelphia at the hands of likely All-Star Cristopher Sánchez. Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in his young career but started to struggle late… a recipe for disaster against the steady Sánchez.

Esmerlyn Valdez stayed hot at the plate, reaching base three times and accounting for nearly half the Pirates’ baserunners.

Scoring Plays

Bottom 2nd, 2-0 PHI: The Phillies (48-38) loaded the bases with two away in the second, setting up two runners to come home on a Justin Crawford single that just missed Jared Triolo’s outstretched glove.

Bottom 7th, 5-0 PHI: Philadelphia got to Bubba Chandler (3-8) in his final inning of work. Gabriel Rincones Jr. drew a leadoff walk, then pinch-runner Derek Hill took second on a bunt. Trea Turner doubled, plating Hill, and Kyle Schwarber chased Chandler from the game with a single.

Isaac Mattson allowed both inherited runners to cross via a Bryce Harper single and a Brandon Marsh groundout, tagging Chandler for five earned runs.

Bottom 8th, 8-0 PHI: Crawford singled home a run with two away in the eighth, then Turner hit a two-run bomb on the following pitch.

Key Moment

The Pirates (34-34) started to find success against Sánchez (10-3) during his second trip through the lineup, putting two aboard in the fourth; Billy Cook doubled with one out in the fifth, but nothing came of either opportunity.

Player of the Game

Sánchez, who needed just 92 pitches to churn through seven innings, fanning nine batters in the process.

Stat to Know

Bubba Chandler set a career-high with 6.1 innings pitched, staying in for the seventh inning for the first time across 20 career starts.

Notable Performances

Bubba Chandler: 6.1 innings, seven hits, five runs, two walks, six strikeouts, 97 pitches/65 strikes
Esmerlyn Valdez: 2-for-3 with a walk
Endy Rodríguez: 0-for-3 with three strikeouts as a right-handed batter; 1-for-1 with a single as a left-handed batter

Noteworthy

Billy Cook’s fourth inning double marked his first extra base hit since Sept. 29, 2024.
Phillies’ starter Cristopher Sánchez threw 16 innings against the Pirates this season and didn’t allow a run in any of them. He holds a 1.08 ERA over 41.2 career innings against Pittsburgh.
Esmerlyn Valdez has more than one hit in three straight games and five of his last seven contests.
Bryan Reynolds froze on a fastball over the plate in the eighth inning, bringing his 34-game on-base streak to an end. It was the longest-active streak in MLB and the longest of his career.

Up Next

The series will continue at 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, with ace right-handers Paul Skenes (6-7, 3.10 ERA, 114 SO) and Zack Wheeler (8-1, 2.03 ERA, 74 SO) facing off.