Pittsburgh rolls into Houston for game 2 with the bats still warm from a 10-run Tuesday and a 4-game heater overall. First pitch is 7:10 PM CT at Daikin Park, with Pinnacle pricing the Bucs at -151 on the moneyline and the total nailed to 7.5 — sportsbooks clearly expect the starters to slow this thing down after last night's track meet.
Skenes (6-5, 2.89) is coming off 10 punchouts in 5.1 innings against the Cubs, a loss only in the box score. He's leading the league with a 0.71 WHIP and has held opponents to a single earned run in 7 of his last 9 starts, which is how you re-enter the Cy Young chat at 23. Arrighetti, meanwhile, is doing something genuinely historic — 7-1, 1.34 ERA, fewer than 30 hits allowed all season, the only pitcher in the ERA era to enter June with that line.
The records tell two very different stories. The Pirates are 33-28 and have won 4 in a row, including sweeping the Twins and stomping Houston in the opener. The Astros are 27-35 and have dropped 3 of their last 5 — last night's bullpen meltdown after Brandon Walter (no relation to the IL'd Walter — kidding, please check the card) only made it uglier. The vibe gap right now is real.
Houston's injury list reads like a pre-deadline shopping memo for somebody else. Carlos Correa is headed for ankle surgery. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr., Hayden Wesneski, and Ronel Blanco are all on the shelf at various stages of rehab. Jose Altuve (oblique) is close but not back. That's why Arrighetti's run matters so much — he's been the entire rotation's lifeline.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo SP — Solometo is sidelined at Double-A Altoona with recurring left shoulder discomfort, Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.
- Day-To-DayOddanier Mosqueda RP — Mosqueda will not throw for a couple weeks due to left forearm inflammation, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayMike Clevinger RP — Clevinger is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DaySean Sullivan SP — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILKonnor Griffin SS — The Pirates placed Griffin on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a flexor strain in his right elbow.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Bart C — Bart (foot) has been cleared to resume weight room activity and play light catch, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Devenski RP — Devenski (illness) is expected to resume throwing bullpen sessions during the upcoming week, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayWalker Janek C — Double-A Corpus Christi placed Janek on its 7-day injured list Sunday due to an unspecified injury.
- 10-Day-ILBraden Shewmake SS — Shewmake (groin) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 10-Day-ILJose Altuve 2B — Altuve (oblique) took BP, ran the bases and fielded grounders Saturday, and he's slated to face live pitching in the coming days, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILJoey Loperfido LF — Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Monday that Loperfido (quadriceps) will pause his rehab assignment until Wednesday after fouling a ball off his foot during Sunday's game with Double-A Corpus Christie, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILYainer Diaz C — Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Diaz (oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment during the first week of June, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILLance McCullers Jr. SP — McCullers was scratched from his scheduled start against the Twins on Tuesday due to shoulder inflammation, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- 15-Day-ILBennett Sousa RP — The Astros placed Sousa on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday, Julia Morales of Space City Home Network reports.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Correa SS — Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The Pirates aren't perfectly healthy either — Konnor Griffin's flexor strain stings at short and Joey Bart is still working back from the foot — but the lineup that just hung 10 doesn't look like it's missing anything tonight. If Skenes goes 7 and the Houston offense stays stuck against him the way it usually does against good arms, the under at 7.5 is the play that sells itself. The catch is that nobody's hit Arrighetti either, and somebody's offense has to score 1st in a game like this. Lean Pirates, lean under, lean back and enjoy the pitching.