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#Deadspin #Brewers #open #division #play #Paul #Skenes #Pirates">Deadspin | Brewers open division play vs. Paul Skenes, Pirates
Deadspin | Brewers open division play vs. Paul Skenes, Pirates  Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images   The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to veteran Brandon Woodruff as they finally face a National League Central opponent when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.  Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27), the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner.  Milwaukee lost 5-4 at Detroit on Thursday on Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off solo homer in the ninth inning off Abner Uribe. The Brewers dropped back-to-back games to finish their road trip at 3-3.  The Pirates lost at Texas 6-1 on Thursday, with their only run on Oneil Cruz’s team-leading eighth homer of the season. Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler allowed a season-high six runs in four innings.  The Brewers, the three-time defending NL Central champions, will play a division rival for the first time after 24 games, including 18 against American League opponents. Each team in the NL Central is above .500.  Woodruff, still returning to form after a late-September injury that kept him out of the playoffs, went a season-high seven innings in his last start. He allowed one run on three hits in a 5-2 victory Saturday at Miami, striking out four and walking one in an efficient 92-pitch outing.  “Woody was tremendous,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “It just goes to show you, old-school command and keeping them off-balance.  Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 career games (17 starts) against the Pirates. He was 1-0 in two starts last season vs. them and did not give up a run in 10 innings.   Milwaukee, without injured regulars Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich, are tied for 25th in the majors with just 19 homers. The Brewers, however, lead in stolen bases with 35.   Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez, with five homers each, and Brice Turang with four, have accounted for 14 of Milwaukee’s 19 long balls.  Milwaukee has won eight straight games against the Pirates, who have not lost consecutive games this season since falling in their first two games.  Skenes has a 1.27 ERA over his last four starts, allowing just three runs in 21 1/3 innings. In his most recent outing, he allowed three hits over four scoreless innings against Tampa Bay but did not return after a lengthy rain delay. Pittsburgh lost 8-7 in 13 innings.  “Short outing, but you know, felt like the execution was pretty good,” Skenes said afterward.   Skenes is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts against them last season, allowing nine runs in 14 innings.  Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal started for Detroit against Milwaukee on Thursday. With the Brewers scheduled to face Skenes on Friday, they will go against Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games, a rarity.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Brewers #open #division #play #Paul #Skenes #PiratesApr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to veteran Brandon Woodruff as they finally face a National League Central opponent when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series.

Woodruff (2-0, 3.42 ERA) will oppose fellow right-hander Paul Skenes (3-1, 3.27), the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner.

Milwaukee lost 5-4 at Detroit on Thursday on Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off solo homer in the ninth inning off Abner Uribe. The Brewers dropped back-to-back games to finish their road trip at 3-3.

The Pirates lost at Texas 6-1 on Thursday, with their only run on Oneil Cruz’s team-leading eighth homer of the season. Pittsburgh starter Bubba Chandler allowed a season-high six runs in four innings.

The Brewers, the three-time defending NL Central champions, will play a division rival for the first time after 24 games, including 18 against American League opponents. Each team in the NL Central is above .500.

Woodruff, still returning to form after a late-September injury that kept him out of the playoffs, went a season-high seven innings in his last start. He allowed one run on three hits in a 5-2 victory Saturday at Miami, striking out four and walking one in an efficient 92-pitch outing.

“Woody was tremendous,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “It just goes to show you, old-school command and keeping them off-balance.


Woodruff is 8-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 19 career games (17 starts) against the Pirates. He was 1-0 in two starts last season vs. them and did not give up a run in 10 innings.

Milwaukee, without injured regulars Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich, are tied for 25th in the majors with just 19 homers. The Brewers, however, lead in stolen bases with 35.

Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez, with five homers each, and Brice Turang with four, have accounted for 14 of Milwaukee’s 19 long balls.

Milwaukee has won eight straight games against the Pirates, who have not lost consecutive games this season since falling in their first two games.

Skenes has a 1.27 ERA over his last four starts, allowing just three runs in 21 1/3 innings. In his most recent outing, he allowed three hits over four scoreless innings against Tampa Bay but did not return after a lengthy rain delay. Pittsburgh lost 8-7 in 13 innings.

“Short outing, but you know, felt like the execution was pretty good,” Skenes said afterward.

Skenes is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four career starts vs. the Brewers. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts against them last season, allowing nine runs in 14 innings.

Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal started for Detroit against Milwaukee on Thursday. With the Brewers scheduled to face Skenes on Friday, they will go against Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games, a rarity.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Brewers #open #division #play #Paul #Skenes #Pirates
  • The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the receiving end of the most embarrassing, soul-crushing moment of the NFL Draft’s first round on Thursday night — and it came courtesy of their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, just to rub salt in the wound.

  • Meanwhile, the Eagles got absolutely bailed out of their WR mess by their in-division rival. Philadelphia were staring down the barrel of either needing to reach for a pass catcher, or take a different position, potentially be forced to trade AJ Brown, and get left with an incomplete offense. Now with DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon they’re set — and both players came to the Eagles via trades with the Cowboys.

    Time will tell how all this shakes out. Maybe Iheanachor will turn into a stud, Lemon will be a bust and everything will play out … or this could be a moment that haunts the Steelers forever.

    #exact #moment #Steelers #Eagles #ruined #draft #plans">This was the exact moment the Steelers found out the Eagles ruined their draft plans

    The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the receiving end of the most embarrassing, soul-crushing moment of the NFL Draft’s first round on Thursday night — and it came courtesy of their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, just to rub salt in the wound.

    GM Omar Khan was on the phone with USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, telling the prospect that he was going to be picked at No. 21 and become a Steeler. Then all the oxygen got sucked from Pittsburgh’s war room when Lemon told Khan, “Why is Philly calling?”

    The Steelers jumped the gun in making the call. They reached out to Lemon when the Cowboys were on the clock, assuming there was no way that Dallas was going to take a wide receiver — and also likely assuming that they wouldn’t trade in-division with the Eagles, who were the most-likely team to take a receiver at that point.

    It led to a bit of a mess. Pittsburgh ended up making a decent choice in offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, but he was definitely more of a reach based on consensus big boards, whereas Lemon would have been a steal. It’s also unclear how Iheanachor makes the Steelers immediately better, seeming more like Broderick Jones insurance than a home run in his own right. Find every pick of the 2026 NFL Draft with our tracker.

    Meanwhile, the Eagles got absolutely bailed out of their WR mess by their in-division rival. Philadelphia were staring down the barrel of either needing to reach for a pass catcher, or take a different position, potentially be forced to trade AJ Brown, and get left with an incomplete offense. Now with DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon they’re set — and both players came to the Eagles via trades with the Cowboys.

    Time will tell how all this shakes out. Maybe Iheanachor will turn into a stud, Lemon will be a bust and everything will play out … or this could be a moment that haunts the Steelers forever.

    #exact #moment #Steelers #Eagles #ruined #draft #plans