PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trea Turner hit a three-run home run during a five-run second inning, Bryce Harper’s misjudged double scored two runs in the fourth, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat struggling Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes and the Pirates 10-6 on Wednesday night.
Skenes (6-8) lasted four innings, allowing six hits and a season-high seven earned runs. He has not won in his last nine starts, losing six decisions in that stretch.
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Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm, left, scores past Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis on a two-run fielder's choice hit by Justin Crawford during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin cannot reach a single by Philadelphia Phillies' Gabriel Rincones Jr. during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Jhoan Duran reacts after the Phillies won a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, left, and Jhoan Duran celebrate after the Phillies won a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Trea Turner reacts after hitting a three-run home run against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The defending NL Cy Young Award winner’s first loss in this slide came at PNC Park on May 17 at the hands of Wheeler and the Phillies by 6-0. He didn’t allow a run that day until the fifth inning. This time, the Phillies didn’t wait that long.
Pirates third baseman Nick Gonzales fielded a bases-loaded grounder in the second inning and had a routine force play at the plate, but he fired the ball off runner Alec Bohm’s hand for an error and two runs. Turner hit the next pitch into the seats for his third homer in as many games and a 5-0 lead.
Henry Davis hit a homer as the Pirates scored twice in the third, but Brandon Marsh got one of those runs back with a solo shot in the bottom half.
The Phillies made it 8-2 in the fourth on another Pirates mistake, this time when Bryce Harper’s line drive was misjudged by left fielder Tyler Callihan for a two-run double.
The Pirates cut the lead to five in the fifth on an RBI single by Gonzales. Kyle Backhus hit two batters consecutively, forcing in a run and making it 8-4.
A two-run double by Pittsburgh’s Jared Triolo cut it to 8-6 in the seventh but Bohm hit a two-run homer in the eighth.
Orion Kerkering (6-0) got five straight outs in the seventh and Jhoan Duran pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Despite excessive heat warnings, it’s still a 12:30 p.m. start Thursday for the Pirates and Jared Jones (1-1, 5.76 ERA) against the Phillies and Alan Rangel (0-1, 4.50).
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Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm, left, scores past Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis on a two-run fielder's choice hit by Justin Crawford during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin cannot reach a single by Philadelphia Phillies' Gabriel Rincones Jr. during the fourth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Jhoan Duran reacts after the Phillies won a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, left, and Jhoan Duran celebrate after the Phillies won a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Trea Turner reacts after hitting a three-run home run against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday took his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One — a retrofitted Boeing 747-800 worth $400 million gifted by Qatar that embeds his personality more deeply into the institution of the American presidency.
Gone is the trademark light blue hull that helped Air Force One blend into the sky. The refurbished jet is painted in Trump’s preferred color scheme: a navy-blue belly with red and gold stripes. It has the luxury features that the president believes a commander-in-chief’s entourage should have — plush carpets, lie-flat seats, wood paneling and a presidential seal on the seat belts, according to reported tours of the plane.
Trump told reporters that he was proud of the luxurious plane. “You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it,” he said.
The retrofitted Qatari jet is intended to serve as a “bridge” between the aging Boeing jets that have served as Air Force One for the last 36 years and two new aircraft, which are years behind schedule and expected to be delivered in 2028 at the earliest. Trump toured the new jet just weeks after returning to the White House last year and directed that it be prepared for his use for the bulk of his remaining time in office.
The compressed timetable set by the president limited the modifications to the plane. Images of the jet captured since its unveiling and analyzed by the Associated Press show that it is not equipped with at least some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the outgoing Cold War-era jets.
The Air Force has said that it did little to change the cabin layout of the plane and that it spent less than $400 million on security upgrades.
Jeremiah Gertler, a senior analyst for Teal Group, an aviation and defense consulting firm, said that this absence, as well as a seemingly smaller number of communications antennas, suggested that the Qatari jet is better suited to only work as a domestic aircraft.
“If you’re going on a long trip, you take the big fancy car, but if you’re just buzzing around town, you’ll settle for something less. Right? And this looks like it’s a domestic-only model,” Gertler said, speaking of the new jet.
“If the idea was to do it as quickly and inexpensively as possible, it would seem to lead to the notion that there’s less content” in the jet’s modifications, Gertler said.
Trump has said he plans to use the new plane next week when he travels to attend the NATO summit in Turkey.
The Air Force argued that the rapid conversion of the jet was done “without accepting any risk regarding security, safety, or secure communications,” but added that “several highly complex engineering modifications required for the final (Air Force One aircraft) were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft.” The service acknowledged that it did not widen the doors leading out of the aircraft or include multiple stairs built into the hull of the plane.
Reporters are generally not permitted to take photos inside the plane unless Trump is present. But on Wednesday, Trump administration staffers shared images of the plane's interior on social media.
White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a photo of aides gathered around a circular table that had off-white place mats and leather captain's chairs. Monica Crowley, the chief of U.S. protocol, posted a picture of herself perched on a leather couch between a pair of Air Force One throw pillows. Mounted on the wall behind her was a framed photo of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
The jet carried Trump to North Dakota to see the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, its first official visitor ahead of its opening on the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The gift from the Middle Eastern power raised ethical concerns, but Trump saw the plane as a necessary replacement for the older planes that had previously ferried him as president.
“This is a gift from a country that has treated us very well,” Trump said. Trump has said in the past that the Qatar plane would end up in a presidential library.
The presidential limousine, with President Donald Trump inside, arrives in front of the new Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The newly designated Air Force One, left, with president Donald Trump on board, takes off on the runway as the old version of the plane is in the foreground, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, July 1, 2026 (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks after touring the newly designated Air Force One presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The newly designated Air Force One is ready as President Donald Trump arrives to board, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
