D-backs to Face the Electric Paul Skenes in Crucial Rubber Match

The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming off another disappointing bullpen meltdown, blowing a 6-0 lead to the Pittsburgh Pirates. As a result, Arizona will face a rubber match against one of MLB's most elite young arms in Paul Skenes for an early 12:40 p.m. first pitch.

Pitching Matchup

RHP Paul Skenes (2.36 ERA)

The 22-year-old sensation will take the mound on Wednesday, one day before his 23rd birthday. There's been no sign of a sophomore slump for the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year, as he's pitched to a stellar 2.36 ERA over 11 starts.

His peripherals are nearly identical to his raw results, as his 2.62 FIP and 2.52 expected ERA are the signs of a truly dominant arm. His Baseball Savant page is a sea of red, with a +14 Pitching Run Value. He's punched out 70 batters in 68.2 innings while walking just 18. That adds up to a high strikeout rate of 26.2% and a 6.7% walk rate.

But he's not purely strikeout dependent, as his electric arsenal and high level of command have helped him limit hard contact. Despite being a punchout arm, he also has a ground ball rate just below 50%.

He boasts high-90s to triple-digit velocity, and a deep arsenal of pitches. His four-seam fastball and sinker can reach into the 100 MPH range, with a wealth of high-movement secondary pitches at his disposal. He throws a mid-90s splitter, a sweeper/slider combo, a hard changeup and an occasional cutter. Good luck.

Skenes has thrown four straight Quality Starts, including a complete game in which he was stuck with a Tough Loss despite allowing just one run over eight innings. He's only allowed more than three earned runs once in 2025. The D-backs have faced him just once and fared relatively well, working three walks and five hits, chasing him after 5.1 innings. They only managed two runs, but only struck out four times.

RHP Zac Gallen (5.25 ERA)

Zac Gallen's 2025 season has not been kind. Outside of a handful of dominant outings, the right-hander has struggled. He was blown up by the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies for six runs (four homers) over five innings two starts ago and surrendered four runs over 5.2 against the Cardinals his last time out.

Something needs to change for Gallen, and quickly, as he's walking a career-high 4.23 batters per nine innings. While the strikeout numbers are still largely there, at 9.19 per nine innings, he's being hit extremely hard. He's allowed a 44.5% hard-hit rate (26th percentile in MLB), and has given up 10 homers in 61.2 innings.

He's still shown flashes of the ace he once undeniably was, but he'll need to begin stringing together solid outings. The D-backs are in need of a win Wednesday, and a deep, solid start would go a long way.

Gallen has a career 3.34 ERA against Pittsburgh, tossing six innings of three-run baseball against them last season.

Lineup