Pirates manager Derek Shelton has set his rotation for the Phillies series this weekend, and he is giving his two top arms an extended rest following the All-Star break. Neither Paul Skenes nor Mitch Keller will pitch this weekend. Shelton will throw left-hander Martín Pérez (1-5, 5.15 ERA) tonight against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.38 ERA).
Luis Ortiz pitches for the Pirates tomorrow and Marco Gonzalez will throw on Sunday. Skenes and Keller will open the series starting Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Airtime for the Bucs and Phils tonight on WCCS is 6:15 with the first pitch at 6:40.
MLB yesterday released the 2025 schedule, and for the Pirates, the home opener is going to be electric…picture Paul Skenes facing Aaron Judge as the Bucs’ home schedule begins with three games against the Yankees, April 4th through the 6th. It will be the first time ever that the Pirates have hosted the Bronx Bombers in the home opener.
The season will open with seven games in Florida, starting March 27th at Miami, where they’ll play four games, and following with three at Tampa Bay. It will be the second straight season opener against the Marlins, the ninth straight opener on the road for the Pirates, and the earliest season opener in franchise history.
The schedule features two nine-game homestands, one starting June 3rd and the other on July 18th.
DRAFT
The baseball experts continue to praise the Pirates draft class, which at first glance might seem underwhelming, but has some intriguing potential. MLB.com and MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis ranks the Pirates haul as the second-best in the draft, behind only Cleveland. The Reds, A’s, and Diamondbacks round out his top five.
Callis says the shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin has the highest ceiling in the draft, pitcher Levi Sterling is “one of the youngest, most polished and more projectable prep pitchers”, and shortstop Wyatt Sanford is “arguably the best defensive shortstop among the high schoolers.” He also praises the first-round talent of pitchers Josh Hartle and Matt Ager, and outfielder Will Taylor, all of whose stock dropped after poor 2024 college seasons, and he likes the offensive potential of infielders Eddie Rynders and Duce Gourson.
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