Game Time for Pirates vs Tigers – 6/19/2025

Pittsburgh Pirates

@

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to Comerica Park for the first game of a double-header on June 19, 2025. The Tigers are enjoying a stellar season with a record of 47-27, while the Pirates are struggling at 29-45. In their last matchup, the Tigers showcased their dominance with a convincing win over the Pirates, marking a critical moment in this series.

Detroit’s Tarik Skubal is set to take the mound, and he has been nothing short of exceptional this season. With a 7-2 record and a remarkable ERA of 1.99, Skubal ranks as the 1st best starting pitcher in MLB according to advanced-stat Power Rankings. He projects to pitch around 6.3 innings today, allowing only 1.6 earned runs on average—an elite performance that could stymie the Pirates’ struggling offense.

On the other side, Pittsburgh’s Andrew Heaney, who has a record of 3-5 and an ERA of 3.33, faces a tough challenge. Although his ERA is respectable, his 4.16 xFIP indicates he may have been fortunate this year. Heaney’s projections suggest he will struggle against a high-strikeout Tigers lineup, making it difficult for him to keep runs off the board.

The Tigers’ offense ranks 8th best in MLB, bolstered by a hot streak from their best hitter, who has recorded 9 hits and 3 home runs over the past week. Meanwhile, the Pirates rank 29th in offense, which does not bode well against a strong Detroit bullpen that is 5th best in the league.

With a Game Total set at a low 7.0 runs and the Tigers favored heavily with a moneyline of -320, it’s clear that Detroit is expected to dominate this matchup. The projections favor a high team total of 4.47 runs for the Tigers, while the Pirates face a daunting task with an implied total of just 2.53 runs.

Pittsburgh Pirates Insights

• Paul Skenes – Over/Under Pitching Outs
  Paul Skenes has been given an above-average leash this year, recording 6.7 more adjusted pitches-per-outing than average.
  Explain: Pitchers with a longer leash are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.

Detroit Tigers Insights

• Keider Montero – Over/Under Strikeouts
  Keider Montero has gone to his sinker 13.5% more often this season (21.2%) than he did last season (7.7%).
  Explain: Sinkers are the easiest pitches to hit and generate the fewest strikeouts, so a pitcher who begins to use his sinker more often will likely be less effective than he used to be.