The Pirates took down the Phillies 6-1 and split the series in Philadelphia. They sit at .500 after 88 games this season. They also now lead baseball in times sitting at .500 this season with 14. Poni thinks the turning point of today’s game was the first inning when Jared Jones fell behind Trea Turner, the leadoff guy, 3-0 and ended up striking him out in front of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. The Pirates still sit at .500 after they have lost Paul Skenes last 9 starts, which could be a good sign.
Pirates Insider Jason Mackey joins the show. Jason says that his biggest takeaway from today’s game is that Esmerlyn Valdez is for real. Mackey is a fan of Jared Triolo because of his defense, but also mentions that his OPS is above .800 his last 13 games. Jason says that he would be surprised if Skenes is still adamant about pitching to Henry Davis after his recent struggles. He thinks it makes sense to try something new. Jason thinks that Paul Skenes puts too much on his plate and cares too much about being a people pleaser. Mackey thinks that nobody on the internet is seeing anything with Skenes that the Pirates are not seeing.
Manager’s Minute: Don Kelly’s postgame press conference.
Jul 02, 2026
