The loss easily could have been even more lopsided.
On a scorching Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, where the temperature at first pitch was 98 degrees and only climbed from there, the Phillies dropped the series finale to the Pirates, 6-1.
But Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunities to run up the score further, with 14 hits to the Phillies’ four.
The Pirates had baserunners in every inning except the first, and stranded 12 thanks to some solid defensive efforts from the Phillies.
Interim manager Don Mattingly opted not to use an opener for Alan Rangel, who delivered four scoreless innings. He wriggled out of a few jams to do it. A double play from Alec Bohm — who fielded a grounder, stepped on third, and fired to first base — helped Rangel leave two in the third. Rangel also recovered from back-to-back walks in the fourth with a groundout that ended the inning.
The Phillies led early, thanks to an RBI double from Bryce Harper in the third, but the bats fell silent after that. It gave the Pirates time to break through, which they did against the Phillies bullpen.
Down the line
Off the wall
On the board! pic.twitter.com/XLpfh5b8gz— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 2, 2026
Pittsburgh tied things up with one run on three hits against Tim Mayza in the fifth. Trea Turner limited the damage there with another double play, which he fielded himself and threw to first while stepping across the bag.
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They took the lead against José Alvarado in the seventh. He got ahead, 0-2, against Brandon Lowe, but failed to put him away, giving up a leadoff single instead. Lowe later scored when Esmerlyn Valdez sent a ball past Justin Crawford in center for a triple.
Another single scored Valdez before Alvarado ended the inning with a strikeout.
Lou Trivino gave up a leadoff home run in the eighth, then loaded the bases on a single and back-to-back walks. The Pirates tacked on one more run with a sacrifice fly. Kyle Backhus gave up another solo shot in the ninth to make it a five-run game.
The offense, meanwhile, struggled against Pirates starter Jared Jones, who limited them to two hits over four innings with his four-pitch mix. After Harper’s RBI double against Jones, the Phillies managed just two more hits — singles from Turner and Bryson Stott — over the rest of the game.
Pirates relievers entered Thursday’s game with a 4.44 ERA, ranking fourth-worst in the National League, but the Phillies didn’t capitalize. Mason Montgomery struck out Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm, and Bryson Stott in the ninth to seal it.
The Phillies closed their final action at home before the All-Star break. They depart on a three-city, nine game road trip, opening in Kansas City on the Fourth of July.
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