For only the fifth time since 2008, the Blue Jays will pay a visit to PNC Park and face the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game set.
The Blue Jays are kicking off a stretch of nine consecutive games against teams with a record below .500, allowing them to pad their league and division lead before their far stronger September schedule. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 21 games below .500, but they’ve posted a winning record at home this season.
Tonight will be no easy task, as the Jays will face one of the best pitchers in all baseball in 23-year-old Paul Skenes. He boasts an MLB-best 2.13 ERA as well as an NL-best 2.52 FIP and 0.5 HR/9, and he’s given up more than two earned runs in only five of his 25 starts. With Skenes, the Blue Jays can expect a plus-fastball that sits at 98 mph, as well as an array of secondary pitches, including a changeup (primarily thrown to lefties) that yields a 46.7% whiff rate.
Pittsburgh Pitching Duel!
Let’s Geaux 😤 #lightsupletsgo pic.twitter.com/phUOyRCjnz
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 18, 2025
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Tonight will be the first night that most Blue Jays hitters will be facing Skenes; however, Nathan Lukes went 3-for-3 with a double against him during a triple-A game last season. Elsewhere, Ty France logged two at-bats against Skenes last season, recording a single and a strikeout in two at-bats.
Opposing Skenes tonight will be Kevin Gausman, who is no stranger to squaring off against some of the league’s best this season. Gausman has also been the opposing pitcher in games this year against Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, Hunter Brown, Jacob deGrom, and Ranger Suárez.
Gausman has made 24 starts this season, pitching to a 3.79 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, and 2.5 BB/9. He’s currently in the middle of one of his best stretches of play this season, posting a 2.54 ERA over his last nine starts, pitching into the sixth inning and beyond in eight of those. He’s currently sitting on his highest home run rate since 2020, when he was with the Giants, but Pittsburgh ranks last in the majors in home runs on the season, 17 homers behind the next team.
A few of Pittsburgh’s hitters have had their fair share of success against Gausman in previous outings, including former Blue Jay Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has posted a 6-for-14 mark with two home runs in his career against him. Veterans Tommy Pham (8-for-22, HR) and Andrew McCutchen (3-for-8, HR, 6 RBIs) have gone yard against Gausman, and Bryan Reynolds has hit a respectable 3-for-11 against Gausman.
George Springer will start in the leadoff position for the third consecutive game, and with a righty on the mound, Addison Barger files in right after him. Tyler Heineman gets the nod behind the plate in place of Alejandro Kirk, who caught all three games in the Texas series. Andrés Giménez, who is hitting .308 in his first six games back from injury, rounds out Toronto’s starting lineup for the night.
Former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz will be hitting leadoff for the Pirates tonight. Horwitz was traded to the Guardians last season in exchange for Giménez before being flipped to the Pirates just a matter of hours later.
Location: PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA
First Pitch: 6:40 PM EST
Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan
Starting Pitchers
Toronto Blue Jays – Kevin Gausman: 8-9 record, 3.79 ERA, 142 2/3 IP, 138 SO, 40 BB
Pittsburgh Pirates – Paul Skenes: 7-9 record, 2.13 ERA, 148 IP, 166 SO, 36 BB
Lineups:
Blue Jays:
- George Springer – DH
- Addison Barger – RF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
- Bo Bichette – SS
- Daulton Varsho – CF
- Ernie Clement – 3B
- Nathan Lukes – LF
- Tyler Heineman – C
- Andrés Giménez – 2B
Pirates:
- Spencer Horwitz – 1B
- Tommy Pham – LF
- Bryan Reynolds – RF
- Nick Gonzales – 2B
- Andrew McCutchen – DH
- Jared Triolo – SS
- Alexander Canario – CF
- Henry Davis – C
- Isiah Kiner-Falefa – 3B