Fresh off a 4-3 loss against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, ace starter Paul Skenes will pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Dodgers on Friday night.
Fresh off a 4-3 loss on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels, the Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET as Paul Skenes (PIT) pitches against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD).
While Skenes (2-2, 2.87 ERA) against Yamamoto (3-1, 0.93) is an excellent matchup on its own, we’ll also get to see Skenes square off against Shohei Ohtani in a highly-anticipated matchup.
Skenes, the National League Rookie of the Year in 2024, against Ohtani, the MVP in 2024, is arguably the most exciting pitcher-batter matchup in the sport.
Ohtani has faced Skenes six times before, going 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs. The 30-year-old is hitting .272 this season with six homers, eight RBIs and five stolen bases. He had a historic season last year, hitting 54 homers and driving in 130. He also became the first player in history to go 50/50, stealing 59 bases.
He has 150 steals for his career, which is now in its eighth season.
Skenes, 22, is armed with a triple-digit fastball and a devastating “splinker.” He’s already struck out 30 batters in 31.1 innings. He went 11-3 last year with a 1.96 ERA, finishing third in the National League Cy Young race. He started the All-Star Game for the National League.
The two teams will play again on Saturday and Sunday, ending the series. Pittsburgh will have an off-day on Monday for travel while the Dodgers will host the Miami Marlins.
