Pittsburgh at Colorado

Paul Skenes won the National League Cy Young Award last season and has not forgotten how to pitch. The right-hander brings a 2.85 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP into tonight's start in Colorado, and his history against this lineup is worth noting. Earlier this year, he shut the Rockies down over eight innings on two hits with ten strikeouts. Tomoyuki Sugano starts for Colorado with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP on a team that is 29-47, one of the least competitive clubs in the National League. The Pittsburgh lineup has been productive all season, with Brandon Lowe providing consistent power and Bryan Reynolds generating runs from the top of the order. The altitude in Colorado adds variables for any pitching staff, but Skenes suppresses hard contact at one of the best rates in the game, which makes him better equipped to navigate that environment than most starters would be. Pittsburgh has the starter, the offense, and the matchup edge. Take the Pirates on the runline tonight.