Pirates Announce Starting Pitchers vs. Tigers

He gave up five earned runs over three innings vs. the New York Mets at PNC Park on Aug. 7, which included four runs in the third inning, a three-run home run from Marcus Semien to cap it off.

Mlodzinski had somewhat of an excuse vs. the Mets, as he came back out after a 30-minute-plus rain delay in the third inning, but his outing vs. the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on Aug. 12 was even worse.

He allowed five hits and four earned runs over 2.1 innings pitched, as the Marlins got hard hits off him all outing and he couldn't even make it into the third inning, before Pirates manager Don Kelly took him out.

Mlodzinski has really struggled with hard-hit contact from opposing hitters, with 14 hard hits on 25 batted ball events (BBE), accounting for 56%, which would rank as the highest in baseball if he maintained that over the season.

The Pirates have faith in Mlodzinski, as he showed over his two-month stretch in the rotation to start the season that he can handle a longer and more important role, but they need him to show it now in a critical part of the season.

Right-handed pitcher Lake Bachar came through for the Pirates in a similar role, throwing three scoreless innings and working out of two tough jams against the Boston Red Sox, leading his team to an 8-3 victory in the series finale on Aug. 16.

If Mlodzinski can bring three or, really, four strong innings for the Pirates, it will go a long way for them against the Tigers.

Ashcraft Looking to Build Off of Career-Best Start

It hadn't been the easiest time for Ashcraft prior to his last start, but he showed the very best of what he can do at the major league level.

Ashcraft threw his first complete game in the 13-1 win over the Marlins on Aug. 13, making for one of the best starts for a Pirates pitcher in recent times and also making MLB history along the way.

He almost had a shutout, if not for a ninth inning home run to Owen Caissie, but absolutely dominated the Marlins outside of that.

Ashcraft finished with just 85 pitches and threw 10 strikeouts, with his first inning pitch total of 13 the highest he had all game.

He became the first pitcher in MLB history, since pitch tracking started in 1988, to throw a complete game in nine innings with 10 strikeouts and 85 pitches or less.

It was a massive outing for Ashcraft, who the Pirates are trying to practice caution with due to his injury history, but still pulled off an incredible feat to get his team a big-time win.

Ashcraft had struggled prior to that start, with a 7.88 ERA in his past five outings, and wasn't showing the All-Star he was in the first half of the season.

The Pirates will hope that Ashcraft can maintain his efficiency in his first full major league season in the rotation and guide them to more wins.

Skenes Gets Much Needed Rest Before Facing Tigers

This start for Skenes wasn't supposed to happen, as his original schedule had him against the Red Sox in that series finale.

The Pirates decided it would be best for Skenes to have a few extra days of rest before his next start in hope of helping him regain the form that made him one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Skenes only gave up two runs over five innings vs. the Marlins back on Aug. 11, but lasted just 65 pitches and struggled with hard hit contact.

This was especially true for his fastball, five hard hits on seven BBE, which dropped in velocity to 95.7 mph, while his usual average is 96.9 mph this season.

Skenes has posted a 5.00 ERA and won just three of his past 16 starts, as he's struggled pitching the way he once has.

There have been many discussions on Skenes and why he's not pitching the way he has, especially deep-dives into his mechanics, but the Pirates ace isn't injured and isn't exactly sure why he's not having the same performances he once had.

Skenes can make a big statement with a strong outing against the Tigers, especially as the Pirates go on a nine-game road trip following that start.