By the time the Phillies returned home and got set for Friday's series opener against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers, all anybody wanted to see was Phillies manager Rob Thomson summon new closer Jhoan Duran -- igniting his famous entrance -- to lock down a save. They immediately got their wish, as Duran's long first day as a member of the Phillies ended with a four-pitch, 90-second save on Friday night, securing a 5-4 victory on the first day of Alumni Weekend.

But then came Saturday, and the Phillies were on the wrong side of the ultimate battle of aces. Zack Wheeler allowed three home runs, while Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was unhittable for six innings before the Phillies finally broke through in the seventh inning. It was too little, too late, however, as the Phillies fell 7-5.

Under the lights on national television, Cristopher Sánchez took the mound on Sunday night hoping to earn a series victory against former Phillies starter Charlie Morton, the 41-year-old making his Tigers debut. The star southpaw did just that, as Sánchez's remarkable 2025 season continued with eight shutout innings. Sánchez only needed 84 pitches to do it, and a complete game was in reach. But there was no need to risk anything with the aforementioned Duran around to lock down the final frame. So after another grand entrance, Duran did just that, posting his second 1-2-3 inning in as many appearances with his new team. The Phillies won, 2-0, earning a series victory over a first-place club.

Everything to know from the Phillies' first series after the trade deadline:

Cristopher Sánchez's star keeps shining brighter

What is so remarkable about Sánchez's dominance, at this point, is the consistent and nonchalant nature of it all. He pitches deep into games so routinely with such effectiveness that it becomes harder to grasp how special it is -- and how astonishing of a turnaround it represents for a pitcher once on the verge of falling out of favor.

Sánchez fit a category that so many pitchers have fallen into over the years: a hard thrower with no idea where the ball is going. His last gasp -- an attempt to scale back his velocity in hopes of finding pinpoint command -- turned out to be a stroke of genius. Not only did Sánchez develop a devastating changeup that is up there with any in the sport, but once he found regular control of his pitches, the lanky lefty put on significant muscle and did not just regain the velocity he had ditched, but developed even more powerful stuff than he had before.

Even as Sánchez's stellar outings continue -- Sunday's line of 8.0 innings pitched allowing no runs and five hits with five strikeouts and one walk on 84 pitches (58 strikes) will do the trick -- it should not be lost on anybody just how unusual his emergence has been.

For Sánchez to go from the fringes of a 40-man roster to legitimate Cy Young Award contender -- yes, that is where he is now -- in the span of three years is nothing short of amazing. Despite Sánchez's surprising lack of an All-Star nod this year, perhaps an outing like this on ESPN will help raise his national profile. What he continues to accomplish on the mound is simply outstanding.

Zack Wheeler allows three homers, Phillies bested by Tarik Skubal

A capacity crowd was locked in on the pitcher's mound when Saturday's game began. On one side was Wheeler, one of the perennial contenders for the National League Cy Young Award. On the other side was Skubal, the winner of that trophy in the American League last year, clearly poised to do it again with a campaign even better than the Triple Crown season he had in 2024.

When both aces notched three strikeouts in the first inning, it felt impossible to imagine either team scoring any runs. But in the top of the third, Wheeler made a pair of mistakes. Colt Keith and Kerry Carpenter each tagged Wheeler for solo shots to give Skubal a two-run lead which appeared insurmountable. Because in the first five innings, Bryce Harper was the only Phillies hitter to reach base thanks to a weak single through the hole in the bottom of the first.

As Thomson predicted hours earlier, Skubal aggressively pounded the strike zone. The problem for hitters is that his stuff is so good that even when you get it in the strike zone, it is so difficult to square up -- particularly Skubal's high-octane fastball, and perhaps the only changeup in the majors better than the one belonging to Sánchez.

Wheeler had avoided any other mistakes through six innings, tossing 95 pitches and limiting the damage to just those two runs. Thomson sent him back out for the top of the seventh, and it came back to bite the Phillies. An error at third base from Otto Kemp to begin the frame brought up resurgent All-Star Javier Báez, who clobbered a two-run shot to left field. That was where Wheeler's night ended, and Tanner Banks followed him up by surrendering a solo homer to fellow All-Star Gleyber Torres.

The Phillies finally got to Skubal in the bottom of the seventh, as Harper singled again and J.T. Realmuto brought him home with a double. Then Skubal missed with that famous changeup and Nick Castellanos made him pay. Suddenly, there was life:

That newfound juice in the ballpark quickly vanished when Matt Strahm's scoreless streak lasting over a month came to an end when Báez hit a two-out, two-run triple into the corner in left field. Harper got the runs back with a two-run shot in the bottom of the eighth, but that was where the scoring stopped, as Detroit came away with a 7-5 victory behind seven innings from Skubal -- six of which were absolutely dominant.

Time will tell if Wheeler and Skubal win Cy Young trophies in their respective leagues. If they do, it will be the first time the eventual winners have matched up in the regular season since 2012, when R.A. Dickey faced off against David Price, according to the team's notes.

Odds and ends

Some more notes from this weekend set:

• For this year's Alumni Weekend, Phillies franchise hits leader Jimmy Rollins and former general manager Ed Wade were inducted into the team's Wall of Fame. The ceremony took place on Friday night, and immediately after their inductions the pair of honorees spoke to the media. At one point, Wade was asked if he believes Rollins has the requisite credentials to make the Baseball Hall of Fame one day. His endorsement was strong.

"From the standpoint of all of the things -- character, makeup and talent -- he's a Hall of Famer in all three of those things," Wade said. "There are some guys in Cooperstown that check one or two of those boxes. This guy checks all three of those boxes. And you have to weigh everything -- I understand the statistical aspect of it. Check his box. The defense, check his box. The speed, check his box. So I don't know what criterion you would have to not have Jimmy Rollins in the Hall of Fame. It's just common sense... I think when you put the whole puzzle together, it's obvious that it points to Cooperstown."

After Wade said he would vote for Rollins six times if he could, the legendary shortstop sitting to his left flashed his signature smile.

"Appreciate it, Ed," Rollins said.

• It looks like this six-game stretch at home is going to be make-or-break for Max Kepler, whose recent hard-hit balls have given the Phillies some hope after a difficult first four months with the team. It stands to reason that if Kepler does not impress between Monday and Wednesday, the team could consider summoning top outfield prospect Justin Crawford ahead of its lengthy road trip. Thomson established such a timeline on Friday afternoon.

"For the next six days it looks like sort of a platoon," Thomson said. "And then once we get to that point we'll figure it out."

• This was the Phillies' fifth consecutive interleague series; they have only faced off against American League clubs since returning from the All-Star break. They have two more interleague series on the docket before getting back to playing National League baseball next Monday. According to the team's notes ahead of Sunday's game, their active streak of 15 consecutive interleague games is tied for the major-league record.

Up next: The Phillies will be back in action on Monday night when they begin a three-game home series against a Baltimore Orioles team that sold at last week's trade deadline.

MORE: Duran's theatric entrance, blazing Phillies debut set the tone Friday night

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