A Look Back: Wheeler vs. Skenes, Round 1 — May 17, 2026, at PNC Park
The two aces matched zeroes early, each pitcher looking sharp — Paul Skenes opened by striking out the side, and Wheeler answered with a 1-2-3 first. Through four innings, they both had allowed just one hit.
Zack Wheeler was the one who never wavered: seven shutout innings, striking out eight while walking one and allowing four hits. His fastball ticked up to 96.1 mph, well above the 94.7 mph average he’d carried through his first four starts back from thoracic outlet surgery, and the extra zip helped him record four of his eight strikeouts. He also got a lucky break when a deep fly ball from Brandon Lowe that looked headed for the seats was ruled fan interference, and Wheeler stranded the runner with a groundout.
Skenes matched him for four scoreless innings before cracking. In the fifth, he issued his first walk since April 13, then allowed an RBI groundout and an RBI single that snapped his scoreless streak. The floodgates opened in the sixth: Harper led off with a homer, Bohm and Marsh followed with back-to-back hits, and Skenes didn’t record an out in the inning — finishing charged with five runs, just the third time in his career he’d allowed that many in a start.
Final: Phillies 6, Pirates 0 — a series-sweep capper for Philadelphia, with Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez throwing back-to-back shutouts to close out the series.
Here’s how both pitchers have looked over their last five starts:
Zack Wheeler — last 5 starts (all in June)
| Date | Opp | Result | IP | H | R/ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/4 | vs SD | W | 7.0 | 2 | 2/2 | 3 | 8 |
| 6/9 | @ TOR | L | 6.0 | 6 | 1/1 | 0 | 5 |
| 6/15 | vs MIA | W | 6.0 | 2 | 0/0 | 3 | 9 |
| 6/21 | vs NYM | W | 5.2 | 4 | 2/2 | 3 | 7 |
| 6/26 | @ NYM | W | 7.0 | 4 | 1/1 | 1 | 5 |
Totals: 31.2 IP, 18 H, 6 ER, 10 BB, 34 K — a 1.71 ERA, 4-1 record.
Trend: remarkably consistent. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in every one of these five outings, with four quality starts in the bunch. The one hiccup was a hard-luck loss to Toronto where he actually pitched well (6 IP, 1 ER) but got outdueled. He’s not missing many bats in gaudy fashion, but he’s efficient, deep into games, and simply not giving up runs — the walk total ticked up a bit in the middle two starts but never bit him.
Paul Skenes — last 5 starts (all in June)
| Date | Opp | Result | IP | H | R/ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/3 | @ HOU | ND | 4.2 | 6 | 3/1 | 1 | 7 |
| 6/9 | vs LAD | ND | 6.0 | 6 | 2/2 | 2 | 7 |
| 6/14 | vs MIA | L | 6.0 | 4 | 2/2 | 1 | 10 |
| 6/20 | @ COL | L | 6.0 | 4 | 2/2 | 2 | 8 |
| 6/26 | vs CIN | ND | 5.0 | 6 | 4/4 | 2 | 7 |
Totals: 27.2 IP, 26 H, 11 ER, 8 BB, 39 K — a 3.58 ERA, no wins.
Trend: the stuff is still elite — he’s racked up strikeouts in bunches (double digits against Miami) and the underlying command (8 BB in 27.2 IP) is fine. But he’s been touched for more contact than usual, and the results haven’t followed him: he hasn’t won a game since May 12, and the Pirates have lost his last eight starts dating back to that first matchup with Wheeler on May 17. The Cincinnati start was the roughest of the stretch — a four-run second inning was a career-high for runs allowed in a single frame. Coincidentally, that outing also gave him his 500th career strikeout, the fastest any Pirates pitcher has reached that mark.
Bottom line: Wheeler has been the picture of steadiness, while Skenes’ peripherals still look like a top-of-the-league arm, but a stretch of untimely damage and a lack of run support have turned his last two months into a genuine cold streak by his standards. The two are set to face off again in the current series at Citizens Bank Park.
The Pirates vs Zack Wheeler
In 22 games, Marcell Ozuna has hit .203 (12-for-59) with 22 strikeouts against Wheeler in his career, but does have two home runs. Brandon Lowe has hit .278 in 18 at-bats with one home run, and Bryan Reynolds has 15 ABs and a .200 career average versus Wheeler. Endy Rodriguez and high-profile rookie Konnor Griffin are both 1-for-3 against Wheeler in their short careers.
The Phillies vs Paul Skenes
None of the Phillies in the projected starting lineup have more than nine at-bats against Skenes. Alec Bohm (.222), Trea Turner (.111), Kyle Schwarber (.000), and Bryson Stott (.000) all have nine at-bats against Skenes. Bryce Harper is 2-for-6 (.333) with a solo home run and Brandon Marsh (.286) is 2-for-7 with a double. Rafael Marchan has five at-bats against the righty and one hit, while J.T. Realmuto has one hit in two at-bats.
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