The two best pitchers in baseball will pitch in Detroit today, but they won’t face each other.
Instead of Paul Skenes taking on Tarik Skubal in the first game of a doubleheader, Pirates’ lefty Andrew Heaney will face the Tigers pitcher is a 1.99 ERA.
Skenes and his 1.78 ERA and 97 strikeouts will start game two for the Pirates.
The possibility of Skubal taking on Skenes wetted the appetite of many baseball fans, but for the Pirates, it makes sense to not pit Skenes against Skubal.
“The way that Skubal’s been pitching, the best chance to come away with a victory is to have Skenes throw against somebody else,” said pre and postgame host Dan Zangrilli.
Skenes is pitching like a Cy Young-winner so far this season, but with a lack of run support, Skenes in 4-6 so far this season over 15 starts.
With Skenes being the biggest highlight of this 2025 season, the Pirates should give him every chance to get a win.
But Joe Starkey thinks baseball fans are being robbed. Listen below: