After a thrilling loss on Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates bounced back with a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night at PNC Park. Bryan Reynolds and Joey Bart both hit home runs, and the Pirates’ bullpen limited Arizona to two runs over six innings, despite a rain delay.
Paul Skenes will start for the Pirates (56-54) in the decisive game of the series against the Diamondbacks (59-52) on Sunday afternoon. The game begins at 1:35 ET and will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pirates’ RHP Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.90 ERA)
Skenes, who has been exceptional since his MLB debut on May 11, leads the league in ERA and is the only starting pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA during this period. He also tops the charts with a 33.3% strikeout rate. In his last outing, Skenes gave up two runs (one earned) and struck out six in six innings against the Houston Astros. This will be his first appearance against the Diamondbacks.
Diamondbacks’ RHP Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.53 ERA)
Nelson is coming off his best performance of the season, pitching seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts against the Washington Nationals on Monday. July was a strong month for Nelson, with a 3-0 record and a 2.41 ERA in six appearances (five starts). He relies primarily on his four-seam fastball, with a cutter and changeup as secondary pitches, and also uses a slider, curveball, and sweeper. This will be his first matchup against the Pirates.
Matchup Notes
– Against Skenes: No Diamondbacks hitters have faced him yet.
– Against Nelson:
– Bryan De La Cruz: 1 for 3 with one strikeout
– Rowdy Tellez: 0 for 3
Tidbits
– Joey Bart’s .854 OPS is second among catchers with at least 140 plate appearances, behind Willson Contreras of the Cardinals (.860).
– The Pirates avoided a three-game losing streak with Saturday’s win, a streak they haven’t experienced since May 7-10.
– Paul Skenes has not allowed more than two runs in a start since June 5 and has given up more than two runs in only two of his 13 starts, never exceeding three runs.