Pirates

Pirates Preview: Can Paul Skenes Save the Series?

Published

1 month ago

May 18, 2025

Pirates' ace Paul Skenes walks off the mound after allowing a trio of home runs on Thursday, May 1 against the Chicago Cubs. Photo courtesy of Eddie Provident.

Photo courtesy of Eddie Provident

The Pittsburgh Pirates will conclude their road trip beginning at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, looking to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Pittsburgh (15-31) narrowly avoided a shutout in the second game of the series, losing 5-2 after Bryan Reynolds clubbed a two-run homer in the ninth inning on Saturday night. Now a pitiful 3-12 in the month of May, the Pirates turn to staff ace Paul Skenes to salvage the series. SportsNet Pittsburgh holds the telecasting rights for this matchup, with the radio broadcast held on 93.7 The Fan.

Weather

It’s looking sunny in Philadelphia, with temperatures in the low 70s at first pitch; it’ll climb to 74 degrees in the late afternoon. There will be a 16 mile per hour crossbreeze blowing in from left field, which could play a major role in how the ball flies.

The Pirates will send Paul Skenes (3-4, 2.63 ERA, 53 SO) to the mound; the Phillies will counter with their No. 8 prospect, right-hander Mick Abel, making his big league debut. Skenes, similarly, will face the Phillies for the first time.

Tidbits

The Pirates’ all-time record now sits just four games above .500. They were 522 games above .500 at the beginning of the 1993 season, and last played a game at .500 or worse in August 1903.
Andrew McCutchen sits just one hit away from 1,700 in his Pirates’ career, occupying the No. 10 spot on the franchise’s leaderboard for the statistic.
The Pirates haven’t won a series in Philadelphia since taking three of four games in 2017. That streak will continue into at least 2026.