Apr 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Carlos Hernández (35) celebrates with catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) team's win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Phillies Look To Chase Down Top Spot in NL East During Inaugural Rivalry Weekend

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Dalton Rice | Last updated May 16, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Early in the season, it seemed that the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets would be in a league of their own with the Atlanta Braves falling so far behind the pack, but now the Phillies are thankful for a weekend series with their in-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates who have as many wins on the season as the Phils do at Citizens Bank Park alone.

The Phillies are coming off a series loss to the Cardinals, with Kyle Schwarber's 47 game on-base streak being broken and Jesús Luzardo rescuing the team from a sweep with seven shutout innings in the first leg of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Lights out from Luzardo again pic.twitter.com/rGK7T3x27d
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 14, 2025

While the Pirates have the edge in the all-time matchup (1230-1085), the Phillies have dominated the season series since 2018 with a 26-14 record against their former NL East foes. From 1969 to 1993, the two Pennsylvania squads won 15 of a possible 25 division titles and won back-to-back World Series titles in 1979 (Pirates) and 1980 (Phillies).

Nowadays, this rivalry is purely a geographic one. The Pirates have fallen into the recently-broken trend of complacency and lack of financial motivation in the NL Central while the Phillies are looking back at a World Series window that may be closing sooner than later. The Phillies have the highest active payroll with their 26-man roster, while the Pirates have an active roster payroll over $200 million less than Philly at $81 million.

The Philly offense has been middling to start the season, ranking high in batting average but near the middle of the pack in every other team hitting stat. The Pirates on the other hand, are thankful for the White Sox and Rockies, as they would be dead last in nearly every offensive category.

In the series opener on Friday, Ranger Suárez (1-0, 5.91 ERA) will look to build off a strong start and put his May 4 start behind him. Philly's ace, Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.95 ERA) will go on Saturday before the Phillies get their first shot at Paul Skenes (3-4, 2.63 ERA) who faces off against Cristopher Sánchez in the series finale.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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