Pirates

Pirates Preview: Paul Skenes Faces Toughest Test Yet

Published

8 months ago

June 5, 2024

The Pittsburgh Pirates squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park on Tuesday night.

Jared Jones threw six-shutout innings and Jack Suwinski, who was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis prior to first pitch, hit a solo home run to lead the Pirates (28-32) to a win.

After one rookie passed a tough test against the Dodgers (38-24) another will try and deliver similar results as Paul Skenes makes career start No. 5.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 ET and the game will be aired on SportsNet Pittsburgh.

Weather

A chance for thunderstorms leading up to first pitch with cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 70s for game time. Winds S at 7-8 mph.

The Pittsburgh Pirates Will Send Out RHP Paul Skenes (2-0, 2.45 ERA)

Skenes got the back-half of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers last week.

The rookie right-hander held the Tigers to a pair of runs on three hits across six innings pitch while walking one and striking out nine.

It’s been more of the same from the top pitching prospect in baseball since he was called up. He’s worked six innings in each of his last three starts and has allowed a total of three runs over that span.

He’ll be tested like never before in his first time facing an exceptional Dodgers’ lineup.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Will Send Out LHP James Paxton (5-0, 3.29 ERA)

Paxton pitched only three innings in his last start against the Mets, when he didn’t allow a run and struck out three. It was a planned shortened outing for the veteran.

The left-hander has relied mostly on soft contact. He’s struck out 31 batters against 28 walks in 52 innings pitched and has limited opponents to a .235 batting average.

Paxton has only faced the Pirates one prior time in his career. He took the loss after allowing three runs in five innings pitched.

Dodgers Hitters vs. Skenes

Pirates Hitters vs. Paxton

Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 5, one double, one home run, three RBIs, one walk, one strikeout
Rowdy Tellez: 1 for 3, one strikeout
Yasmani Grandal: 1 for 1, one home run, one RBI

Tidbits

All six of Jared Jones’ outings at PNC Park have been quality starts. He’s the fourth pitcher in Pirates’ history to have thrown six-plus innings with three or fewer runs allowed through his first six home starts. Jones lowered his home ERA to 1.95 on Tuesday.
Jones’ 76 strikeouts are tied with the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto for second among qualified rookies, trailing only Yankees starter Luis Gil (85). He’s tied for the second-most innings with Gil (69.1) and is fourth in opponent’s batting average (.214).
The Pirates improved to 9-5 against the Dodgers since the start of 2022. They’re the only National League team with a winning record against Los Angeles during that span.