Pirates Finally on a Winning Streak; Complete Sweep Against Phillies’ on McCutchen’s Late Hit
PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes delivered another excellent start and Andrew McCutchen brought home the game-winning run for the Pittsburgh Pirates in their 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies to complete the weekend sweep at PNC Park.
How We Got There
Jared Triolo put the Pirates (26-40) ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the second with an RBI double to right-center field.
The lead didn’t last long, however, as the Phillies (37-28) tied the game in the top of the third. Rafael Marchán doubled to right field. Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales threw to second but the ball kicked away far enough to allow Brandon Marsh to score from third base.
With nobody out in the eighth inning, Andrew McCutchen broke his bat on a single to shallow right field, allowing Oneil Cruz to score the go-ahead run from second base.
Andrew McClutchen 👏 pic.twitter.com/Q6yRhDEHFI
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 8, 2025
Pirates starter Paul Skenes held the Phillies to one run in 7.2 innings. Phillies starter Christoper Sánchez (5-2) was charged with two runs in 7-plus innings.
Braxton Ashcraft (1-0) earned his first big-league win with 1.1-scoreless innings in relief of Skenes. The rookie right-hander induced a game-ending double play after a one-out double and an intentional walk.
Key Moment
Oneil Cruz drew a leadoff walk against Sánchez in the eighth and stole second after a Phillies’ pitching change to set up Andrew McCutchen’s go-ahead base hit off Orion Kerkering.
Star of the Game
Paul Skenes delivered yet another excellent start. He’s allowed one run or fewer in each of his last five starts and now has a 1.88 ERA on the season, which ranked sixth in baseball at the end of his outing.
Notable Performances
- Paul Skenes: 7.2 innings, two hits, one run (unearned), one walk, seven strikeouts, 97 pitches/62 strikes
- Braxton Ashcraft: 1.1 innings, one hit, no runs, two walks, 16 pitches/11 strikes
- Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 4, one RBI
- Jared Triolo: 2 for 3, one double, one RBI
- Ke’Bryan Hayes: 2 for 4, one run
Stat to Know
The Pirates hadn’t won three-straight games since sweeping the Marlins last year from Sep. 9-11.
Noteworthy
- With a first-inning single, Andrew McCutchen became the 190th player in MLB history to reach 2,200 hits.
- The Pirates held the Phillies to six runs in their three-game series.
- This was the second-straight game win which a Pirates’ pitcher got his first big-league win. Isaac Mattson was the winning pitcher on Saturday.
- Adam Frazier left the game after getting hit with a pitch in the eighth inning.
Up Next
The Pirates will host another National League East foe as the Miami Marlins make their way to PNC Park on Monday night. RHP Mike Burrows (1-1, 5.27 ERA) will start for the Pirates. RHP Eury Pérez (2025 debut) will pitch for Miami. First pitch: 6:40 p.m. ET.
More about: Pirates