The Pirates got a lot done on Saturday, but the biggest draw for Sunday vanished before the series finale even arrived.
Pittsburgh wrapped up a doubleheader sweep of the NL Central-leading Brewers, used the day to make five selections at the start of the 2026 MLB Draft, and also dealt away the 34th overall pick along with Triple-A pitcher Jaden Woods just before the draft began. Then came the matchup everyone wanted to see: Jacob Misiorowski against Paul Skenes.
That plan lasted only briefly. Misiorowski is out of Sunday’s start because of fatigue, and Robert Gasser will take his place on the mound.
Jacob Misiorowski (fatigue) won't start Sunday.
He was scheduled to match up against Paul Skenes.
- Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) July 11, 2026
It’s a letdown for anyone hoping to watch two of the game’s most electric arms go head-to-head, but the Pirates still have a real chance to finish the first half with a sweep of their division rival.
They’ve already set the tone with the bats. Pittsburgh put up 10 runs across Saturday’s two games, doing most of the damage against Brandon Sproat and Aaron Ashby.
Esmerlyn Valdez was the big bat in the first game, driving in six runs with two homers, then came back in the nightcap with another long ball and two more RBIs. By the end of the day, he had a wild 471 wRC+ and kept rolling in what has been an impressive rookie season.
Whether that production had anything to do with Misiorowski’s fatigue is impossible to say, but the timing certainly didn’t help the Brewers. A power pitcher like that is always under a little more strain, and Pittsburgh’s lineup was not exactly offering a soft landing.
The bigger disappointment is that the Skenes-Misiorowski showdown is off the board, and neither pitcher will appear in the All-Star Game. That leaves Sunday as a chance for Skenes to carry the spotlight on his own and send the Pirates into the break on a strong note.
He hasn’t been at his sharpest lately, allowing multiple runs in each of his last six starts and in eight of his last 10. Even so, he’s still putting together an All-Star season with a 3.58 ERA and 2.98 FIP. If he can keep doing what he’s done against Milwaukee throughout his career - a 2.89 ERA in five starts - Pittsburgh will be in good shape to reach win No. 50 before the break.
And if the Pirates finish off the sweep, they’ll also cut their division deficit to under 10 games, which could give the club a little more energy heading into trade season.
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Jacob Lombard, Eric Booth Jr. and Gio Rojas all surfaced as names some observers thought fit Pittsburgh better, and the conversation only gets more interesting when you consider the possibility that the Pirates had been eyeing a different type of player before the board shifted. However the front office explains the process, this is the kind of selection that leaves fans wondering what the original plan really was. [Read more 🡒]