Paul Skenes, Livvy Dunne support Oneil Cruz at MLB Home Run Derby

The Pirates previously put together a video of Skenes making his prediction. Unsurprisingly, he went with Cruz as the “gift” the left-hander possesses will wind up being the difference.

“He’s my guy to win,” Skenes said. “It’s going to be a long night for me. Because I’ll be sticking with him until the end. He’s got the gift that nobody else does in the Derby, I think. He’ll just be able to flick balls out.”

Of course, Skenes will not be participating in the Home Run Derby more than being like the rest of the fans. Maybe back in his college days at Air Force when Skenes was still hitting, we could have seen what power was in the locker. Instead, the only power coming from the Pirates’ ace is his wicked velocity on the mound.

We will see Skenes right away on Tuesday night for the All-Star game. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is giving him the nod to start for the National League after an incredible first half. It’s the second consecutive season Skenes has had the honor but will now trot out there first due to the Atlanta Braves hosting.

Dunne will surely be in attendance to watch her boyfriend pitch. She was recently in Minnesota for one of Skenes’ starts, even getting put on the videoboard. The Twins were having fun with a celebrity look-alike feature and compared Dunne to herself. Maybe the Braves can come up with something creative too, as the most popular couple in all of baseball continues to shine.