Fastball

Paul Skenes to Make Second Start in Incredibly Unique Matchup on Friday

Pittsburgh Pirates' top prospect Paul Skenes is set to make his second career start on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. The game will feature one of the more unique matchups in recent memory as Skenes is opposed by veteran righty Kyle Hendricks. Here's why:
Brady Farkas|
May 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Martín Pérez (right) pours Gatorade on Paul Skenes.
May 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Martín Pérez (right) pours Gatorade on Paul Skenes. | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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Pittsburgh PiratesChicago Cubs

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates will play the Chicago Cubs in game two of their weekend series.

The game will feature Pirates top prospect, and baseball's top pitching prospect, Paul Skenes making his second career start. Skenes, the most-hyped pitcher since Stephen Strasburg, features a triple-digit fastball and an electric breaking ball. His promotion to the big leagues gives the Pirates hope that their rebuild is finally nearing an end.

The matchup on Friday will be one of the more unique pitching matchups in recent memory as Skenes will be opposed by veteran righty Kyle Hendricks.

Per @JayHayKid on social media:

Paul Skenes and Kyle Hendricks are slated to face each other on Friday and it’ll feature the fastest and slowest average fastball velocities this season:

225 starters have thrown at least 25 fastballs (2+4) this season. Average velocity ranks:

1. Paul Skenes: 100.1 mph
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225. Kyle Hendricks: 87.9 mph

In today's age of max velocity, Hendricks is certainly a throwback, living on fastball placement and a good changeup.

The 34-year-old is in the 11th year of his career, all with the Cubs. He is 93-72 lifetime with a 3.60 ERA, having led the majors in ERA in 2016 (2.13).

He's won double-digit games in four different seasons.

As for Skenes, he threw 4.0 innings in his debut last weekend, which was also against the Cubs. He struck out seven.

First pitch from Wrigley Field is set for 2:20 p.m. ET. The Pirates enter at 20-25 while the Cubs are 25-20.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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