Detroit Tigers vs. Pirates postponed Tuesday; doubleheader Wednesday features Paul Skenes
The Detroit Tigers will wait to play.
The Tigers postponed Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park due to the forecast of inclement weather. There wasn't any rain at the ballpark at the time of the postponement. The Tigers and Pirates are scheduled to play a straight doubleheader Wednesday, beginning at 12:40 p.m.
For the doubleheader, Game 2 will start approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1.
The Tigers haven't shared their pitching plan for the doubleheader, but the Pirates will start right-hander Jared Jones in Game 1 and right-hander Paul Skenes in Game 2. They're two of the best young pitchers in baseball, both relying on high-velocity fastballs with an ability to get whiffs on secondary pitches.
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Both pitchers are in their rookie seasons. Jones, 22, has a 3.05 ERA in 10 starts; Skenes, who turns 22 on Wednesday, has a 2.25 ERA in three starts. Jones averages 97.3 mph with his fastball; Skenes averages 99.4 mph with his fastball.
"It's no secret what they have and what they're doing," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "Just watch one video of them. You see the elite arm and the challenge fastball style of pitching. We'll need to do a fast study on them because this is not a group that we see a lot, nor is it a style that we see a lot. Teams are generally throwing a ton of secondary stuff at us. That is not how they pitch. We got to get ready for the fastball."
The Tigers and Pirates will play their entire two-game series Wednesday, followed by the Tigers traveling to Boston to begin a seven-game road trip with four games against the Red Sox (May 30-June 2) that wraps up in Texas with three games against the Rangers (June 3-5).
The Tigers — riding a three-game winning streak in their City Connect uniforms — haven't played since Sunday's 14-11 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers vs. Pirates game tonight postponed; doubleheader Wed.