Pirates vs Blue Jays Preview: Skenes’ Shadow Flickers Over Toronto

Pittsburgh is 26-26 and just lost two straight to Toronto. Ouch. But here's the thing—when Mitch Keller takes the mound, the Pirates get a real fighter on the hill. Keller's a veteran arm who knows how to battle through tough innings. He averaged three strikeouts and a 0.5 WHIP this season. The Pirates need him to lock down early and give their hitters time to catch up. Toronto's hot right now, winning four straight. But baseball doesn't care about streaks. Every game is a new story, and Pittsburgh's got nothing to lose heading into Sunday.

Toronto's pitcher Dylan Cease is absolutely rolling. His ERA sits at 1.76 with 12 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP. That's elite stuff. The Blue Jays have won four straight games, and their lineup is cooking too. George Springer homered in yesterday's 5-2 victory. Emmanuel Sánchez and Jose Choi doubled. Tyler Heineman added a homer. Toronto's batters are taking what they want. Pittsburgh's pitching staff—even with Keller—faces a lineup that's locked in. When Cease throws heat like this and the Blue Jays' bats stay hot, games get decided fast.

You're about to see one ace against a solid veteran. Dylan Cease is putting up numbers that make scouts drool. Mitch Keller's steady, reliable, and hungry for a win. Toronto's bats are singing. Pittsburgh's got to scratch and claw for runs. The Pirates lost the last two games here, but Keller's got the stuff to keep things tight. Watch how Pittsburgh's hitters—especially if David Reynolds or Oneil Cruz step up—attack early. One big inning could flip this whole game upside down. That's baseball.