Red Sox Catch Massive Break Before Pirates Series Finale originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox received a significant break ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Instead of facing reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, Boston will see right-handed reliever Lake Bachar in the rubber match at PNC Park.
Pirates manager Don Kelly announced after Saturday’s 4-0 loss that Skenes’ scheduled start had been pushed back to Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Kelly said the decision was made to provide additional rest and was not prompted by an injury. That is welcome news for a Red Sox team trying to secure a series win and strengthen its position in a crowded American League playoff race.
Red Sox Avoid One Of Baseball’s Most Dangerous Pitchers
Skenes has not been the nearly untouchable force he was during his first two major league seasons. His ERA has climbed to a career-high 3.88 through 25 starts, and Pittsburgh has gone 3-13 over his last 16 appearances. The underlying numbers still suggest Boston caught a major break.
Skenes owns a 3.29 FIP during that 16-start stretch, considerably better than his 5.00 ERA. He remains capable of taking over a game with his power arsenal, even though his average four-seam fastball velocity has dropped from 98.2 mph in 2025 to 96.8 mph this season.
The Red Sox now avoid asking their lineup to solve him in a decisive game. Skenes threw his normal between-starts bullpen Friday and arrived at the ballpark Saturday expecting to pitch against Boston. He told reporters he felt capable of making the start but understood Kelly’s decision.
“Ultimately, it was Donnie’s decision, but we had talked about it,” Skenes said. “I don’t necessarily disagree with the decision, either.”
Skenes lasted five innings and threw only 65 pitches in his previous appearance against the Miami Marlins. He acknowledged that every player deals with fatigue in August but said he does not feel substantially different physically than he did during his first two seasons. Rain in Sunday’s forecast also might have influenced Pittsburgh’s decision. The Pirates did not want to risk having Skenes warm up, face a delay and lose the start without completing a normal workload.
Lake Bachar Replaces Skenes Against Boston
Pittsburgh will start Bachar in Skenes’ place, creating a dramatically different assignment for the Red Sox. Bachar is 1-2 with a 3.97 ERA, 68 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP across 65 2/3 innings. Sunday will mark his fifth start of the season.
The 31-year-old last pitched Wednesday against Miami, allowing three earned runs over three innings of relief. His recent workload makes it unlikely that he will provide the length Pittsburgh originally expected from Skenes. That could turn Sunday into a bullpen game for the Pirates.
Boston should not dismiss Bachar, who has held opponents to a .200 batting average this season. Still, forcing Pittsburgh to cover nine innings without its ace is a much more favorable scenario for the Red Sox.
Boston also enters the finale with momentum after Sonny Gray delivered seven scoreless innings Saturday. Wilyer Abreu homered and collected three extra-base hits, while Andruw Monasterio and Jahmai Jones supplied insurance runs in the ninth inning.
The victory improved Boston to 66-57 and ended with the club recording its 13th shutout of the season.
MORE: Sonny Gray, Wilyer Abreu Lead Red Sox To Much-Needed Win
Patrick Sandoval Gets Opportunity To Win Series
Patrick Sandoval will start for Boston opposite Bachar. The left-hander is 1-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 29 strikeouts through 30 innings. He has been particularly effective away from Fenway Park, posting a 2.93 ERA across three road starts.
The pitching change does not guarantee anything for Boston. The Red Sox still must generate offense against Bachar and the Pittsburgh bullpen, and they could be without Masataka Yoshida after he suffered a left hamstring strain Saturday. It does, however, remove the Pirates’ best pitcher from the equation.
Boston began the weekend attempting to recover from a five-game losing streak. A victory Sunday would give the Red Sox their second win in three games, a road series victory and some badly needed momentum heading into the next portion of their schedule.
Avoiding Skenes makes that objective considerably more attainable.
The Red Sox and Pirates will complete their three-game series Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET. NESN will carry the game.