Paul Skenes Takes The Hill, So We Are Obligated To Bet On It

Cubs vs. Pirates, 4:05 ET

If we are being honest, there aren’t too many baseball games that people should mark on their calendar. Baseball playoffs are different, those games are usually great. But, with 162 games, it is very difficult to just pinpoint specific ones that are great matchups or are worthy of us setting aside time to watch the game. Today is one exception, and it should be easy to spot for anyone that has followed college and professional baseball for the past year. Today the Cubs take on the Pirates with Paul Skenes making his big league debut. 

The Cubs are going through it right now. What are they going through, you ask? Well, they have been bitten by the injury bug and you can tell that it is hurting the offense. Cody Bellinger was hurt, Seiya Suzuki is still out, and Dansby Swanson is day-to-day. That is three huge names for their lineup that are leaving noticeable holes in the lineup. Their hitting hasn’t been great overall, but they have found ways to manufacture runs this year and are near the top of the league in runs scored. The pitching staff has been fairly average this season, but that could improve with the health of Justin Steele and his return. Steele takes the ball today for the Pirates after a bit of a shift in the rotation - Javier Assad started yesterday when he was originally scheduled to start today. That's still fine as Steele put himself into the Ace conversation last year, and although he's only pitched 9.1 innings this season due to injury, he looks great. He's allowed just one earned run and six hits on the season. He also has walked just two hitters. If he can keep this going through the lineup a third time, the Cubs will be a force to reckon with. Pirates hitters do have success against him, batting 18-for-68. Specifically, Ke'Bryan Hayes has been a thorn in his side. 

Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele throws a pitch vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

I’m sure there are a lot of things to write about with the Pirates. The team is hovering around .500, in the middle of a homestand, and looking to be a competitive team this season. The reality is that the story today is all about Skenes. If you aren’t familiar with him, he is Livy Dunne’s boyfriend (for all of you stalker’s out there). More importantly for us, he was the #1 overall pick in the draft last season. He has barely spent any time in the minors and is already being promoted. Why was he called up so quickly? Well, he was in college instead of the minors and delivered strikeout after strikeout while leading LSU to a National Championship. Let’s level set expectations a bit here though. Navigating the minors and even college is significantly easier than facing nine guys who made it. Let’s not discount what he did in Triple-A though. He went 27.1 innings and had a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts. 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings! That’s 1.66 per inning. Skenes has overpowering stuff and should instantly be the anchor of the rotation. 

This start for Skenes could go one of two ways, and despite him being a generational talent, it is the same way most debuts go. He will either come out and be very dominant against his opponent, or he will struggle because of too much adrenaline/nerves. He’s pitched in a lot of big games so you’d think that won’t be the case. However, you never forget your first big league start. I think this game will probably be the former though. I expect him to dominate. I’m going to back the under through five innings. Steele has pitched very well and Skenes should be effective in his debut. Back the under, and enjoy watching one of the best pitching prospects in recent memory make his debut. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024