Skenes Always Gives The Pirates A Chance To Win

Pirates vs. Cubs, 2:20 ET

Today is my birthday, and I like to reflect on the past year, and what I want to do. I recently posted a list of goals right next to my computer screen so that I see them daily and remind myself of what I'm looking to accomplish. Number one for me is to get intentional with things. I want to eliminate things from my life that don't provide value or a purpose. Time is limited and space is limited, so my focus should be on things that better me. I'm sure there will time wasted on social media and stuff, but as long as it makes me happy, I'm okay. I hope another thing that provides value (monetary value) will be this game between the Pirates and the Cubs.

The Pirates are not having a good season. They are 14 games under .500 at the moment and have been brutal on the road. We are now in the middle of June, and they still don't have 10 wins on the road this season. The Rockies are obviously worse, but there is only one other team that has a worse record than the Pirates on the road, and that is the White Sox. Not trying for Colorado or the White Sox to catch some strays. This Pirates team has been brutal, though. The team is only averaging 3.2 runs per game this season and only has 49 homers as a club. Their pitching staff overall has been pretty good. Most of it comes from today's starter, Paul Skenes. For the year, Skenes is a potential Cy Young winner. He is 4-6 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP. He is fifth in ERA and a third in WHIP. He also has 92 strikeouts in 91 innings. If you can believe it or not, he has been better on the road than at home with a 1.19 ERA on the road. He did face the Cubs once this season, allowing three solo homers in five innings. He issued four walks and five hits total. Chicago has done surprisingly well against him with 14 hits in 56 at-bats.

Mar 31, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) high five teammates after the game at Sutter Health Park. Kelly hit for the cycle. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Cubs have been spectacular this season, they are 15 games above .500 and look like they are destined for a division victory. It is possible that they end the season with the best record in the National League if everything goes well for them. Surprisingly, the team has done this well despite not having a great pitching staff. The team is a great hitting squad, and hitting tends to be contagious. What I really love about them is that they have Pete Crow-Armstrong as their home run leader, Seiya Suzuki as their RBI leader, and Nico Hoerner as their batting average leader. That doesn't mention their two biggest acquisitions, Kyle Tucker and Dansby Swanson. They recently made history for all nine players on the field being 1st round picks. Get talent and let the team work. It has taken years, but the Cubs are back to being a threat. Cade Horton is one of those picks, being selected seventh overall in 2022. He is 3-1 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  He has made only two home starts this season, going a total of 11 innings and allowing five earned runs. He has not faced the Pirates in his young career. 

This should be a rather low-scoring game. The weather in Chicago is decent enough, but there is a chance for it to cool down and their to be some rain. This is the thing for me, though - if I can get Paul Skenes at a good value I'm going to take him, especially through five innings. I'll back the Pirates on the road with their Ace on the hill through five innings.

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