Bizarre drought in the past, Skenes seeks a 4th straight win vs. Cubs
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PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes has returned to Cy Young form. His first start out of the All-Star break continued his effective stretch from just before the break, proving his nine-start winless streak that spanned from mid-May to early July is well behind him.
Across his last three starts, Skenes has a 2.45 ERA and three victories. Up next for the Pirates ace is a date with the divisional-rival Cubs before another game against a division foe in Cincinnati. Here’s everything to know ahead of Skenes’ 22nd start of 2026.
Last time out
Skenes posted unequivocally his best start of the year last time out, going seven innings and allowing only one run in a win at Cleveland. He threw exactly 100 pitches and looked refreshed with a full week's rest. It was the first outing of seven innings or more from a Pittsburgh starter since Braxton Ashcraft went seven on May 21.
“Got some early outs, that helps,” Skenes said postgame. “Not a ton of long at-bats. It's just that's pretty much what it adds up to. If you can get early outs and avoid the nine- or 10-pitch at-bats, it's a pretty good equation [to] get outs when you need to. It's a pretty good equation for going deep into games.”
Facing Chicago
Skenes' last start against Chicago, and only one this season, came on May 28, the eve of his 24th birthday. In the contest, he struck out 10 and allowed one earned run, but the Pirates fell, 7-2.
Skenes has a 2.77 ERA in eight starts versus the Cubs lifetime, with 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Ian Happ is 5-for-15 in his career against Skenes, while Pete Crow-Armstrong is 4-for-15.
Stat to know: Tracking offspeed run value
While Skenes seems to be back to Cy Young form, he’s got stiff competition in that race. Using the brand new Baseball Savant comparison tool, Skenes is well behind the two National League Cy Young favorites, Cristopher Sánchez and Jacob Misiorowski, in offspeed run value.
Skenes is in the 21st percentile, while Misiorowski is in the 71st and Sánchez is in the 100th.