MILWAUKEE — There’s going to be plenty of hard throwing in the first pitching matchup between Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes and Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski.
Just don’t expect too much hard contact.
Skenes, the 2024 NL rookie of the year, didn’t allow a hit the last time he pitched in Milwaukee. Misiorowski doesn’t have Skenes’ track record, but he has given up just one hit over 11 innings in his first two career starts.
The 23-year-old flamethrowing right-handers meet as opposing starters for the first time in Milwaukee.
“I think it’s going to be really entertaining to watch,” Misiorowski said. “Two really good prospects – I mean, he’s not a prospect anymore, I guess. Two guys that are at the top of their game right now. So I think it’s cool. It’s going to be fun.”
Statcast says Skenes has an average four-seam fastball velocity of 98.1 mph that ranks him behind only Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene (99.3) among starters who have thrown enough pitches to qualify. In his first two starts, Misiorowski had an average four-seam fastball velocity of 99.7 mph.
According to Sportradar, this would be the second-highest combined average velocities by two starters entering a game in which they faced each other since at least 2009. Jacob deGrom had an average fastball velocity of 99.7 and Spencer Strider’s was at 98.2 heading into an Aug. 7, 2022, matchup that deGrom’s New York Mets won 5-2 over Strider’s Atlanta Braves.
While Misiorowski and Skenes have similar velocities, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said it’s far too soon to start grouping them together.
“(Skenes is) one of the best in the game,” Murphy said. “Miz is in his third start. It’s unfair to compare them, for sure. Unfair to Skenes, you know what I mean? It should be exciting. Miz is going on four days rest for the first time.”
But this showcase should give Misiorowski a chance to measure himself against the game’s best.
Skenes indeed has long since graduated from prospect status to solidify himself as one of the game’s top pitchers. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting last year and has gone 15-9 with a 1.91 ERA and 276 strikeouts over 235 innings in his young career.
“It’s like everything just flows off his back,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He never lets anything affect him too much, the way that he’s able to adjust and adapt not just start to start, from inning to inning, batter to batter, understanding his stuff, what’s working and what’s not.”
In his two previous appearances against the Brewers, Skenes has struck out 19 while allowing only four hits and one run over 13 innings. The last time he pitched at Milwaukee, Skenes pitched seven innings of no-hit ball before departing as the Pirates limited the Brewers to one total hit in a 1-0 victory last July.
Misiorowski has been equally effective in a significantly smaller sample size.
He made his major league debut June 12 and held St. Louis hitless for five innings before departing the Brewers’ 6-0 victory with cramping and his right calf and quadriceps. He threw 14 pitches at least 100 mph and reached a top speed of 102.2 that night.
Misiorowski came back and had a perfect game going until he walked Byron Buxton and allowed a homer to Matt Wallner in the seventh inning of a 17-6 triumph at Minnesota.
Both teams are eager to see what happens as Misiorowski gets to measure himself against one of the game’s most dominant pitchers in Skenes.
“Good luck to the hitters,” Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff said. “It’s 100 mph every pitch. It’s kind of crazy in terms of how the game has changed that way. It seems like everybody throws 100 now. It’s cool. It’s good for the game. It’s two young guys who are obviously really good.”
Although the two pitchers hadn’t met before the series, Misiorowski nearly preceded Skenes at LSU. Misiorowski committed to LSU, but decided to start his pro career after the Brewers selected him out of Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, in the second round of the 2022 draft.
One year later, Skenes led LSU to a College World Series title in his lone season with the Tigers. Skenes transferred to LSU after spending two seasons at Air Force.
Now, they’re finally in a ballpark together, only as opponents rather than teammates.
“We know what Paul can do,” Kelly said. “I’m excited to see their guy out there. It’s going to be a good pitching matchup. Just really looking forward to that one.”
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