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Ryan vs. Skenes: Premier pitching matchup coming to Target Field
Jul 6, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starter Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

If you like good pitching, there might not be a better matchup in Minneapolis this year than the one currently scheduled for this Saturday at Target Field.

Joe Ryan, arguably an All-Star snub, will take the mound for the Minnesota Twins. He'll be opposed by the most dominant right-hander on the planet: Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. The 1:10 p.m. game could fly by in what should be a pitcher's duel between two of the best right-handers in the game.

According to Baseball Reference, Skenes leads all Major League Baseball pitchers with 4.8 WAR (wins above replacement player). Ryan is fifth in the majors at 3.9 WAR.

However, Baseball Reference calculates WAR, which is essentially a statistic to determine a player's overall value, differently than FanGraphs. At FanGraphs, Skenes is second in baseball with a 3.9 WAR, trailing only Tarik Skubal (4.7) of the Tigers. Ryan ranks 17th with a 2.4 WAR at FanGraphs.

StatHead

Ryan is actually striking out more batters per nine innings than Skenes: 10.01 K/9 to 9.7K/9.

Skenes' 1.94 ERA is second in the majors, trailing only Houston righty Hunter Brown (1.82). Ryan ranks 16th among qualified starting pitchers with a 2.76 ERA. What's more impressive with Skenes is that he owns a 1.95 ERA in 42 career starts dating back to last season.

Skenes has allowed zero earned runs in seven starts this season, one earned run five times, and two earned runs four times. He has three outings that would qualify as below average: June 25 when he allowed four runs in just four innings against the Brewers; May 1 when the Cubs hit three solo homers against him in only five innings; and April 8 when he gave up five runs in six innings against the Cardinals.

Ryan has allowed zero earned runs in four starts this season, one earned run six times, and two earned runs three times. He's allowed more than three runs just three times.

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This article first appeared on Minnesota Twins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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