Skenes faces – The Blue Jays, still searching for traction in 2026, meet Pirates ace Paul Skenes at 3 p.m. ET as both teams chase postseason momentum—after strong or shaky recent stretches—and with the Wild Card race tightening toward Memorial Day.
When the calendar pushes toward June, the Blue Jays can feel the clock working against them—especially when the opponent on the mound is Paul Skenes.
On Friday. with June rapidly approaching. Toronto still hasn’t “really been able to get going yet in 2026.” But they’re eyeing another postseason run after going all the way to Game 7 of the World Series last season. The problem is simple and immediate: the Pirates ace and defending NL Cy Young winner takes the mound against them today at 3 p.m. ET.
Skenes has been nearly untouchable this season. He leads all qualified MLB starters with a 0.71 WHIP, with opponents hitting just .161 against him—the second-best mark in baseball. He’s also a strikeout threat, with 63 strikeouts ranking eighth-most in the NL entering Friday.
What makes his current season stick in the mind is the contrast with his last start. He’s coming off a five-run outing and a loss against the Phillies last Sunday. But that outcome is an outlier compared to most of his work so far. Before that start. Skenes had not allowed more than one run in seven of his previous eight starts. including four starts in which he allowed no runs.
The Blue Jays have a sample size of one when it comes to facing him. In a career start against them on Aug. 18 of last season in Pittsburgh, Skenes worked six innings and allowed five hits and two runs while striking out eight. The result was a no-decision in a 5-2 Pirates win. Of the five hits he surrendered. all but one were singles. with the lone extra-base hit a double by Addison Barger.
That history could matter, but what’s more dangerous for Toronto is the shape of their offense right now. Entering Friday, the Blue Jays’ .676 OPS ranked last in the AL. The Pirates. meanwhile. have their own offensive profile trending upward: entering Friday. they posted a .726 OPS. the fifth-best mark in the NL.
Both teams are also locked into the Wild Card race as Memorial Day approaches—the traditional point where clubs start taking stock and deciding what kind of run they’re truly capable of making.
Toronto’s case for optimism has been less about explosive production and more about the chance to build momentum. They just split a four-game series against their division rival Yankees at Yankee Stadium. giving them a small jolt as they head into what the league treats as the unofficial start of summer. And they’re waiting on a major swing: superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hasn’t really gotten going yet, meaning a significant offensive boost could arrive at any time.
Pittsburgh’s storyline is different, but the stakes are the same. The Pirates have righted their ship and are back above .500 after a four-game skid earlier in the week. They’re counting on strong production from Brandon Lowe and Spencer Horwitz. and they’re also looking to Oneil Cruz to continue the offensive improvements he has made this season.
The tension of this matchup lives in how each team needs the result to mean something.
Skenes has given the Pirates a floor—good enough to keep opponents from finding their footing. The Blue Jays, at least for now, have not yet found theirs.
Whether Skenes delivers another sharp performance that pushes Pittsburgh forward. or whether Toronto manages to solve the right-hander and start climbing the AL East standings. the game’s outcome won’t just be a single night’s story. Whatever happens Saturday. it should land right in the middle of the kind of baseball drama teams remember when the postseason picture comes into focus.
Blue Jays Pirates Paul Skenes Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Wild Card race AL East NL Cy Young Memorial Day WHIP OPS