Justin Steele

Edward Olivares and Nick Gonzales homered, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 5-4 on Thursday night. Olivares hit a two-run homer in the first inning. He also doubled and scored in the sixth against Justin Steele (0-1) to make it 5-3. Gonzales hit a solo drive in the fourth, and Jared Jones (3-4) struck out seven in six...

Heading into 2024, these 10 pitchers were being counted on to lead their teams. Here's how their squads have managed without them and what we can expect going forward.

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.We put together another 2-1 card Wednesday night, losing on the hook with Taj Bradley after the Rays pulled him with a pitch count of 83.As disappointing as that defeat was, we'll take the profit and move on to a small but fruitful Thursday slate.Let's dive into a few of my favorite plays on the board.Mets (+120) @ Phillies (-140)I expect plenty of offense in this game. And with Jose Quintana and Taijuan Walker on the mound, the fireworks should begin early.Quintana sports a 5.44 ERA this year, and he's given up at least four earned runs in three of his past four starts. His .380 xwOBA in that span indicates he deserves his poor results.The Phillies own an impressive .270 batting average versus lefties this season, and only the Diamondbacks have a higher OBP against southpaws than them. Led by Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Alec Bohm, Philadelphia will cause Quintana a world of problems.But the Mets have reason to believe they can keep up offensively. Walker conceded nine runs over his first two starts of the season before holding a lowly Marlins team to just one run on eight hits. That most recent performance is likely to be an exception rather than the norm.New York sits sixth in xwOBA versus righties in May. The club's more than capable of doing damage against a back-of-rotation starter like Walker.Look for both teams to score early and often in a high-scoring game.Bet: F5 Over 4.5 runs (-115)Cristian Javier: Over 3.5 hits allowedJavier's made five starts this season, conceding at least four hits in all but one of those outings. His struggles suppressing hits are nothing new.Dating back to last year, Javier's allowed four hits or more in 22 of his past 30 starts. That's a 73% clip.Things aren't about to get any easier for him against the Athletics. Although its record isn't impressive, Oakland's offense has been for quite some time - especially against right-handed pitchers.The A's rank fourth in xwOBA and top 10 in batting average versus righties in May.Seven of the past eight right-handed starters the Athletics faced conceded four-plus hits. The exception came against Bryan Woo, who, at this point, is much more reliable than Javier.Odds: -135 (playable to -145)Justin Steele: Over 4.5 hits allowedSteele's made three starts this campaign. Although he's only thrown a season-high 74 pitches in a contest, his pitch count has slowly increased each time out. That trend should continue as the Cubs get Steele up to full speed.I expect 80-plus pitches to be in the cards Thursday night. That number's been somewhat of a sweet spot for Steele.The 28-year-old has given up at least five hits in 13 of his past 15 starts when throwing 80 pitches or more. But he's allowed six hits in 12 of those contests, so he's often clearing the number with some room to spare.The Pirates aren't a good offensive team, and it'd be ignorant to suggest otherwise. Still, they piled up six hits against Steele in four innings last time out.With an increased pitch count for Steele and more Pirates at-bats, five hits doesn't seem like a lot to ask.Odds: -132 (playable to -150)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes makes his major-league debut Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. It's the most anticipated start for a rookie pitcher since Stephen Strasburg broke into the league in 2010. We'll keep you updated throughout his start. 5th InningThe end of the line came after Skenes started the fifth by giving up a double to Tauchman, and an infield single to Seiya Suzuki. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was booed as he walked to the mound, but those jeers quickly turned to cheers for Skenes as he strode to the dugout. Paul Skenes leaves his MLB debut to a standing ovation! pic.twitter.com/nSGK6WAa8J MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024 His 84 pitches marked Skenes' highest pitch count as a professional. Skenes allowed six hits and two walks while striking out seven. Reliever Kyle Nicolas came on in relief and allowed two inherited runs to score. IP H R K BB 4 6 3 7 2 Most strikeouts, Pirates starter age 21 or younger, in their debut:11 - Nick Maddox, 19077 - Paul Skenes, today6 - John Candelaria, 19755 - Vernon Law, 1950(via @Stathead) Joe Block (@joe_block) May 11, 2024 4th InningThe Cubs finally got to Skenes in the fourth, when Nico Hoerner jumped on a slider and ripped it over the left-field wall for a solo home run. Skenes had given up just one homer in 27 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season. Nico Hoerner takes Paul Skenes deep! pic.twitter.com/ZHOZGr15OB Talkin Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 11, 2024 He struck out three in the fourth, giving him seven strikeouts on the day. But the inning, which also included a Miles Mastrobuoni single, rose his pitch count to 74 - one off his 2024 high.3rd InningOnce again, Skenes allowed a runner to reach, and once again he came through unscathed. Morel ripped a two-out single, but was thrown out stealing to end the inning after a Pirates challenge. Watching Skenes reminds me of facing Strasburg after his call-up. I took a fastball in my first at-bat, looked up, and saw 100 on the board. I thought, Uh oh. The next pitch? The best curveball I d ever seen gulp. Same could be said about the changeup later. I was like, . Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) May 11, 2024 Skenes' girlfriend, championship gymnast Olivia Dunne, wouldn't let her own nerves stop the joy of watching him pitch in the majors. Paul Skenes' girlfriend and LSU gymnastics champion Livvy Dunne talks about how it's more nerve-wracking watching him pitch than competing herself pic.twitter.com/cku2Aizw9T Talkin Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 11, 2024 The Pirates gave their pitcher some support in the bottom of the third. First baseman Connor Joe opened the scoring with a three-run homer off Cubs starter Justin Steele, and shortstop Oneil Cruz followed with a solo shot to make it 4-0 Pirates. Oneil Cruz makes it back-to-back homers for the @Pirates! pic.twitter.com/uqrG6n2XwU MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024 2nd InningSkenes got into his first bit of trouble in the majors, loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch, walk, and single with one out. But again he didn't break, recovering to strike out Yan Gomes and then strand the sacks full by getting Tauchman to ground out. However, he threw 24 pitches in the inning, running his count up to 40.1st InningSkenes wasted no time. He struck out leadoff hitter Mike Tauchman on a 101-mph fastball for his first big-league K, and hit 100 in five of the six pitches during the at-bat. The next hitter, Seiya Suzuki, went down on three pitches. Paul Skenes strikes out the first two hitters he faces in the Major Leagues. pic.twitter.com/qO0dYShvsv Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 11, 2024 After walking Cody Bellinger, Skenes escaped the first inning with no damage when Christopher Morel's 395-foot fly ball to dead center died at the warning track.It took less than a full inning for Skenes to put his name in the Pirates record book, throwing the hardest pitch - and five of the seven hardest - in franchise history since data started being tracked in 2008. lol(via pirates pr) pic.twitter.com/jSCfIFrP3D Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) May 11, 2024 It's almost timeSkenes emerged from the dugout to huge cheers just before 3:30 p.m. Time to compete. pic.twitter.com/2EPb0TCl5o Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 11, 2024 The anticipation at PNC Park has grown to a fever before Skenes even arrived in the bullpen, and the crowd was fixated on every one of his warm-up pitches. Join me and my (lack of) videography skills, as Paul Skenes gets loose. pic.twitter.com/U2uDURUbIa Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) May 11, 2024 Here is some context and a visual on the Bullpen area being standing room only to watch Paul Skenes warm-up! @SNPittsburgh #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/7wcmqdtjbS Hannah Mears (@mearshannah_) May 11, 2024 So, just who is Paul Skenes? Here's a primer for those unfamiliar with the 2023 first overall pick. From Air Force Academy to Baton Rouge to Pittsburgh.Learn about Paul Skenes' journey to The Show! pic.twitter.com/SVvay79avX MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024 Skenes arrived at PNC Park on Saturday to find his No. 30 jersey in a locker next to that of another prized rookie starter, Jared Jones. The Pirates are hoping Jones and Skenes will be their rocks for the next decade. Paul Skenes has arrived at PNC Park for his MLB debut with the Pirates pic.twitter.com/9F3JfaWRJ4 MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024 Pittsburgh designated pitcher Roansy Contreras for assignment to make room for Skenes on the 40-man roster, general manager Ben Cherington announced, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune.Skenes gets MLB promotionSkenes received the call Wednesday that he'd be promoted to the majors after dominating Triple-A. The Pirates opted to start Skenes in the minor leagues to begin the season, but he quickly proved too advanced for that level, posting an 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts over seven starts (27 1/3 innings). 5.11.24 pic.twitter.com/fPh1beCkwn Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 8, 2024 Pirates take Skenes with No. 1 pickThe Pirates selected Skenes with the first pick in the 2023 draft out of LSU on July 9, 2023. The left-hander posted a 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings in his only season with the Tigers. Officially official. pic.twitter.com/TaRwcRDTpO Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 18, 2023 Skenes signed a contract that included a record $9.2 million signing bonus."I'm just looking forward to what's to come with playing baseball and hopefully winning a World Series or two in Pittsburgh," Skenes said on draft day. Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele allowed three hits while throwing 68 pitches, 43 for strikes