6-17-2025 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X
These are two teams that couldn’t possibly be on more different planes. Detroit looked poised for another failed rebuild as little as 2 seasons ago. Their top pitching talents annually went down with some kind of major injury, their top pick slugger was sent to AAA and their big free agent signing from years ago Javi Baez was a noose around their necks.
Then last year they went on a magical run to squeak into the playoffs and this year it might take something supernatural to keep them out.
It’s funny how these things can look promising, then devastating, then suddenly like the entire plan was working in the background all along.
That might be inspiring for a fan base like Pittsburgh, except, it rarely works out this way for anyone, and the Tigers probably have a year left with Tarik Skubal before he leaves via Free Agency. The Battle Cats will spend money, a hell of a lot more than the Pirates anyway, but Skubal unless he is completely in love with Detroit will very likely get a monster contract elsewhere.
The Pirates are coming off a weekend series in Chicago where they did everything right, well, when they didn’t have bats in their hands. THE issue that has plagued this club all season is still the issue, this club has to find ways to score runs. That’s going to be a tall task against this Detroit club.
And spoiler alert, I’m kinda sad as a baseball fan we’ll miss Skenes vs Skubal, these are arguably the 2 best pitchers in the game right now and they’ll miss each other by a day.
6/17
Pirates: Bailey Falter (L) | 5-3 | 3.36 ERA | 75 IP | 46 K | 25 BB | 1.12 WHIP
Tigers: Casey Mize | 6-2 | 2.95 ERA | 61 IP | 55 K | 18 BB | 1.28 WHIP
6/18
Pirates: Andrew Heaney (L) | 3-5 | 3.33 ERA | 78.1 IP | 59 K | 24 BB | 1.11 WHIP
Tigers: Tarik Skubal (L) | 7-2 | 1.99 ERA | 90.1 IP | 111 K | 9 BB | 0.81 WHIP
6/19
Pirates: Paul Skenes | 4-6 | 1.78 ERA | 96 IP | 97 K | 22 BB | 0.85 WHIP
Tigers: TBA
Pirates: I’m not exactly spoiled for choice here. Andrew McCutchen in his last 7 games is hitting .345 and for him, this is rare, his OBP is exactly the same, .345. He’s done all of that with his bat, no Walks. Slugging .621 in that span too. There’s no taking away what Cutch has done, but again, his competition for this category is nil.
Tigers: Javier Baez, and yes, it pains me to type it. My dislike for Baez goes back to him wearing a Cubs uniform and I was absolutely fine with him being awful in Detroit. Welp, not in 2025. His last 15 games he’s hitting .280, and getting on base at a .321 clip. He still strikes out a lot, but he’s changed a bit from his swing for the fences all the time, every pitch approach and it’s working for him.
Pirates: Isiah Kiner-Falefa first things first, I could have chosen almost anyone, the offense has been cold as a whole. I chose to focus on IKF because this was a guy who was hitting over .300 just a couple weeks ago, and in his last 15 games, he’s hitting .239, with an OBP of .294. In part, this is just to say his .284 average belies how he’s been hitting lately, and I think we’ll see Don Kelly give Jared Triolo a start at SS somewhere in there this series.
Tigers: Kerry Carpenter has been overall very good, but much like IKF, he’s had a rough couple week stretch. In his last 15 games he’s hitting .196 with a .213 OBP. He has hit 3 dingers in that time, but it’s been very all or nothing lately. This series will likely be tough for him with the Pirates starting 2 lefties and Skenes.
Pirates: Endy Rodriguez is having a shot in his elbow and has been transferred to the 60-day IL. Nobody will say it publicly, but I don’t think there is much expectation he’ll return this season, and there has to be concern about his future behind the dish. Joey Bart will likely return from the IL today.
Johan Oviedo threw a live BP in Bradenton on June 3rd, he’s scheduled to go again in the next couple days. He reached 94 with his fastball in that session and is expected to increase that in this go. The plan is to move into sim games and rehab after that. His return is still a bit off in the distance.
Colin Holderman is progressing to long toss after a positive response to the cortisone shots he had back in May.
Tim Mayza should be cleared to start throwing recovering from left shoulder lat muscle strain
Tigers: Will Vest is dealing with some kind of Pinky injury, considered day to day. Matt Vierling started a rehab assignment, and it’s plausible he could be back during this series.
Notes
- The Pirates will struggle to get the bats going against this club, the Tigers may not have announced their starter for the Thursday contest, but their first two hurlers are enough to make you feel another low scoring series could be in store.
- Good Luck. Paul Skenes famously said these words when asked about the league scouting him, well, this series will bring this sentiment into play for Tarik Skubal too. Some pitchers get to the point where the best they have is completely unhittable, that’s these two guys.
- The outfield in Detroit is large, so look for Oneil Cruz to patrol a bit larger piece of real estate than he typically does. We saw him in Chicago almost all the way in straight away right field calling for a ball that was clearly Alexander Canario‘s to get, but the Pirates will need that range in this series.
- Andrew McCutchen has 2,209 hits. His next one will tie Willie Randolph, two and he ties Willie McCovey. Four, he’ll tie the great Joe DiMaggio. It’s entirely feasible he does that in this series. As of right now, only 188 players have collected more hits than Andrew McCutchen.
Subscribe to our site, it’s free and all you’ll get from us is a notification when there’s something new to read.
Steel City Pirates 