On June 3, 2025, Pirates ace Paul Skenes turned in a stellar begin in opposition to the Astros at PNC Park, hanging out eight whereas permitting simply three hits and a stroll in eight innings of one-run ball. However Houston acquired the final chortle, including two runs within the ninth in opposition to reliever Dennis Santana en path to a 3-0 victory.
On Wednesday — precisely one 12 months to the day after Skenes’ glorious outing — Skenes and the Astros will tangle as soon as once more in a tantalizing matchup throughout. The 2024 Nationwide League Rookie of the 12 months and 2025 NL Cy Younger Award winner is about to begin in opposition to Houston on Wednesday (8:10 p.m. ET) at Daikin Park.
Skenes will face an Astros lineup led by American League MVP Award candidate Yordan Alvarez, who entered Wednesday ranked towards the highest of MLB in dwelling runs , (21second), on-base proportion (.419, second), slugging proportion (.645, second) and OPS (1.064, first).
It isn’t simply Alvarez: The Astros’ harmful lineup consists of shortstop Jeremy Peña, who entered the collection with three dwelling runs in his earlier six video games, and first baseman Christian Walker, who has hit 16 dwelling runs with an .825 OPS this season. Skenes is actually conversant in Walker: The veteran slugged a solo homer off Skenes when the Astros and Pirates met in 2025 in Pittsburgh, the one run Skenes allowed in his eight-inning gem.
Walker is the one lively Astro to go yard in opposition to Skenes, who has robust numbers in opposition to a number of of Houston’s key hitters. Third baseman Isaac Paredes is 0-for-10 in opposition to Skenes with three strikeouts, Peña is 0-for-6, and middle fielder Jake Meyers is 1-for-6 with a Ok.
The Pirates phenom made his solely earlier begin in Houston again on July 29, 2024, and it was one other good one: Skenes allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings, hanging out six in a 5-3 Pittsburgh victory.
However the right-hander has struggled a bit in latest weeks, permitting not less than three runs in every of his previous three begins. In opposition to the Cubs on Thursday, his final day out, he exited after 5 1/3 innings and took the loss, regardless that he struck out 10 and solely one of many three runs he gave up was earned.
Though he takes a formidable 2.89 ERA into Wednesday’s sport in Houston, Skenes will likely be opposed by a pitcher with even higher numbers. The Astros will ship Spencer Arrighetti, who has a 7-1 report and 1.34 ERA in eight begins, to the mound. Arrighetti, who has struck out 43 in 47 innings of labor, has not confronted the Pirates in his three-year profession.
Each lineups will likely be powerful to navigate: The Pirates rank fourth in MLB in runs (311) and are tied for fourth in OPS (.740), whereas the Astros are eleventh in runs (277) and seventh in OPS (.726). For Skenes, it received’t be simple to unravel Alvarez and the Astros, however he’s dealt with Houston earlier than and can have to take action once more in what must be an entertaining face-off.
