Wheeler vs. Skenes will close out Rivalry Weekend with battle of aces

It's hard to think of a better way to close out Rivalry Weekend than with one of the best pitching matchups of the season so far.

The Phillies and Pirates will conclude their three-game set at PNC Park on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET with a battle of aces, as Philadelphia righty Zack Wheeler squares off against Pittsburgh righty and defending NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. It'll be the first time the two pitchers have faced off in a regular-season game.

Wheeler (2-0, 2.55 ERA) will be making his fifth start of the season. He's coming off a gem against the Red Sox on Tuesday, when he went 7 1/3 innings and allowed just one run. Meanwhile, Skenes (6-2, 1.98 ERA) is coming off an eight-scoreless-inning masterpiece against the Rockies in which he allowed just two hits and struck out 10.

So, naturally, runs may be at a premium on Sunday -- not just because of the two pitchers' success so far this season but because of their previous matchups against this particular opponent.

Skenes, an early frontrunner for another Cy Young Award with his ERA under 2.00 yet again, has made just two starts against the Phillies in his young career. Both came last season -- he went 0-1 -- but he was dominant each time. In 15 2/3 innings against Philadelphia, Skenes allowed one run. That translates to an 0.57 ERA. He also struck out 16 batters between the two starts.

Wheeler, meanwhile, is 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA lifetime in nine starts against Pittsburgh. His start Sunday comes exactly one year after he last faced the Pirates and allowed three hits over six scoreless innings in a 5-2 Phillies win. Wheeler has allowed more than three earned runs to the Bucs only once and has allowed one or zero earned runs five times.

Skenes has been a comparable level of stingy in general this season. Since a five-run outing on Opening Day, he's allowed more than one run just once and has held opponents scoreless four times, including in his past two starts. In fact, Skenes has the lowest ERA (1.97) of any regular starting pitcher since his big league debut in 2024 (Tarik Skubal is next at 2.34).

But that doesn't mean Sunday's start will be easy, if for no other reason than the presence of Kyle Schwarber. The Phillies' lefty slugger has already passed the 20-homer threshold this season and has been on a power surge of late that would give pause to any pitcher, Skenes included. But even if Skenes holds Schwarber at bay, Bryce Harper remains his usual ever-present threat with a 1.099 OPS in May. It'll be a classic example of power vs. power.

Meanwhile, Wheeler could have his hands full, too. Pittsburgh's Brandon Lowe has an OPS well north of .900 in May, while Ryan O'Hearn, Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz have also turned it on of late as the Pirates have produced the fourth-best OPS in the NL.

With both teams looking to climb into postseason positioning as the season unfolds, Sunday will give each a chance to face playoff-caliber pitching and, perhaps, serve as an October preview.