Paul Skenes (6-7, 3.10 ERA) makes the trip to Citizens Bank Park for a 6:40 PM ET first pitch opposite Zack Wheeler — 8-1 with a 2.03 ERA, the lowest mark through 12 starts of his career. This is the kind of mid-week pitching duel that actually earns that label. The Pirates roll in after dropping 2 straight to the Reds, sitting a game under .500 at 41-42. The Phillies are coming home off a 4-1 road trip — they swept Washington in 3 and took 1 from the Mets before dropping the finale 6-2 on June 27 — and at 46-37 they look like a team that knows what it is: a contender that's starting to gear up for October. Skenes grabbed his 500th career strikeout against Cincinnati on June 26 — becoming the fastest Pirates pitcher to reach that mark at 72 starts — but it came in a rough outing where he needed 38 pitches to survive the second inning, gave up 4 runs, and exited after 5 in a 6-4 loss. He hasn't won since May 12, and Pittsburgh's offense has given him next to nothing in his June starts. The raw stuff is still elite — 114 strikeouts, a 0.97 WHIP — but he needs a clean start and some run support on Wednesday. Neither is guaranteed against this Phillies lineup. Wheeler's comeback from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery has been the pitching story of the first half. He's allowed fewer than 3 runs in 8 of his last 9 starts, gave up just 1 run in 7 innings against the Mets on June 27, and still sits at 95-plus mph. The Phillies lineup behind him is no footnote either — Kyle Schwarber is up to 29 home runs and Bryce Harper has been one of the better hitters in baseball this month. Pittsburgh is missing Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz to the IL, and the lineup is thinner for it. For Skenes, a quality start in Philly on Wednesday would be a meaningful answer to a rough stretch. Wheeler looks like the kind of opponent who makes those answers hard to come by.