Pirates are still contenders despite Phillies sweep for one obvious reason

Pirates are still contenders despite Phillies sweep for one obvious reason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off one of the more brutal series of the 2026 season for any team. They blew a 6-0 lead in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies, and then were shut out on back-to-back days while Paul Skenes struggled a bit in Game 3.

His ERA jumped from 1.98 to 2.62 after one five-run outing across five innings. It was a rough series for the Pirates, and they're now 24-23 on the season.

However, ESPN's David Schoenfield still believes in this team. So much so that he's still calling them a real postseason contender despite this awful series against the Phillies.

Scheonfield handed out his verdict that, yes, the Pirates are a "real" contender for the postseason. And in explaining why they're contenders more so than the St. Louis Cardinals, a team with a better record, it is thanks to one simple reason: Paul Skenes.

"They need to clean up a few things, such as offense at DH and bullpen depth, but Skenes' value is high enough that if the rest of the team is a .500 team, they should make the playoffs," Schoenfield writes.

While this is a lot of pressure to put on Skenes this season, it's not unfounded confidence in one player. Skenes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since 2024, and if the rest of the team can be decent, the Pirates will have a decent chance to sneak into the postseason.

Paul Skenes is one thing that makes Pirates real postseason contenders

Even though Skenes was knocked out of the game against the Phillies, finishing his outing giving up five runs in five innings, he's still the kind of pitcher a team can turn to every few days with utmost confidence.

While a team like the Cardinals might have a better record, the star power in their rotation doesn't compare to what Skenes can provide.

MORE: Three ways Pirates' Paul Skenes could lose NL Cy Young Award

He might not be the Cy Young favorite anymore after his most recent outing, but he's still someone who can completely shut down the best hitters in the sport on any given day.

That kind of ace will give any team a few good chances to win games during a season. If the rest of the roster can step it up even a little bit, they should be serious contenders.