Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers Game 2 Prediction – 6/19/2025

The Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates will complete their double-header on Thursday, June 19 with Game 2 from Comerica Park. After Tarik Skubal took the mound for the Tigers in the opening game of this twin bill, the Pirates will send their ace to the mound in Paul Skenes for this contest. The question will be whether or not Skenes can do enough to offset the gap in talent between these teams in all other facets of the game.

Skenes is having one of the strangest seasons for a pitcher in the recent history of baseball. His individual numbers are pristine, entering today's action with a 1.78 ERA that leads the league. But his team has not done nearly enough to support him, resulting in a record of 4-6 on the year. Skenes will need to keep doing what he's doing and hope for better run support and contributions from his bullpen to hold any lead that he does earn.

Offensively, the Tigers rank as the 8th best in MLB, while the Pirates languish at 29th. Given the stark contrast in both teams’ performances and the fact that Detroit’s bullpen ranks 5th best in MLB, the Tigers are better everywhere but the starting pitching department going into this game. Still, the Pirates are slight favorites with Skenes on the bump.

Quick Takes Pittsburgh Pirates:

Paul Skenes's 97.5-mph velocity on his fastball this season is a big 1.4-mph fall off from last season's 98.9-mph mark.

• Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs, so a pitcher whose velocity decreases will likely see worse results.

Quick Takes Detroit Tigers:

Keider Montero is an extreme flyball pitcher (34% FB% per the leading projection system, THE BAT) and should be aided by pitching in the #22 HR venue among all major league stadiums in this game.

• This pitcher's skill set matches up particularly well with the park he's in today, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.

The Detroit Tigers bullpen grades out as the 2nd-best in the majors, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).

• Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a strong bullpen sneakily creates a tougher matchup for the opposing offense and suppresses a game's runs.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Detroit Tigers Game 2 Prediction

Predicted Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 4.79, Detroit Tigers 3.47

• Date: June 19, 2025
• Venue: Comerica Park
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Paul Skenes - Pirates
  • Keider Montero - Tigers

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