J.T. Realmuto ripped a three-run double and Kyle Gibson tossed seven scoreless innings to fuel the surging Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-0 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
Nick Castellanos homered to lead off the third inning and Rhys Hoskins and Alec Bohm each drove in a run for the Phillies, who bolted out to an early 6-0 lead for the second straight game.
All told, Philadelphia has erupted for 35 runs during its six-game winning streak and is a season-best 17 games over .500.
Bryce Harper reached base three times (single, two intentional walks) and scored one run in his second game since missing approximately two months due to a broken left thumb.
The offense was more than enough for Gibson (9-5), who scattered six hits and struck out nine to improve to 4-1 in his last six outings.
Sam Coonrod and Nick Nelson each tossed one scoreless inning to secure the Phillies’ second shutout in three games.
While Gibson and company were downright stingy on Saturday, the reeling Pirates have been rather generous for quite some time. They have permitted 54 runs during their seven-game losing skid.
Hoskins was hit by a pitch and Bohm and Harper each singled to load the bases with one out in the first inning. They didn’t wait there long, however, as Realmuto drove them all in with a double down the left field line.
Philadelphia didn’t take its foot off the gas in the second inning as Hoskins’ single to center field plated Jean Segura. Bohm’s groundout to third base allowed Kyle Schwarber to score and give the Phillies a 5-0 lead.
Castellanos continued his recent hot hitting by depositing a 2-1 slider from Tyler Beede (1-4) over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center field. The homer was Castellanos’ 13th of the season and second in six games.
Brandon Marsh went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his first game since returning from the 10-day injured list due to a sprained left ankle.
Beede yielded six runs on five hits in three innings to take the loss in his third straight outing.
–Field Level Media
