Bucs' Skenes skid continues despite 10 K's, career-high 23 whiffs from reigning Cy

PITTSBURGH – Paul Skenes found his groove from the third inning on Sunday afternoon, retiring nine in a row. Yet he exited the game with a one-run deficit.

Skenes finished with 10 strikeouts while allowing four hits and two runs. His 23 whiffs were a new career high. But the Pirates fell to the Marlins, 4-2, dropping their sixth straight game with Skenes on the mound. Skenes has allowed just 2.5 earned runs per game in the stretch, but Pittsburgh holds a minus-27 run differential.

“I think when you're looking at it, we just haven't been able to put a complete game together,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said postgame of the losing streak when Skenes starts.

“Last year was maybe the run support. We've had starts throughout those six where we've scored runs, we've had starts that offense has been there and other things have happened. I don't think we can point to one thing, and that's consistent throughout all the starts.”

With just a 5% walk rate entering this start, Skenes walked the leadoff hitter, Liam Hicks, on just five pitches. He recalibrated and struck out two before forcing a groundout to end the first frame.

Skenes entered the day with no victories since May 12. Despite the blemish, Skenes continues to roll with a 2.85 ERA and the fifth-lowest WHIP (0.93) in the Major Leagues.

The splits were stacked against Skenes in his 15th start of the year. It was a day game, where Skenes held a 6.57 ERA compared to 1.05 at night. Heriberto Hernández took advantage at the top of the second, belting a fastball to left-center field to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. Joe Mack followed three batters later with a shot to dead center field.

Mack said he was looking in for a pitch to turn on due to most of Skenes’ pitches moving away from him. He geared up for a fast pitch and adjusted to a changeup high in the zone.

Skenes settled down in the third, needing just seven pitches to retire the side in order. He continued in the fourth by striking out the side, and the Pirates clawed back with an RBI single from Jake Mangum in the bottom of the frame.

Skenes switched up his pitch usage based on the matchup. To the left-handed Kyle Stowers, Skenes fired five fastballs in a row. To the right-handed Otto Lopez, it was three straight sweepers going away from the batter.

Skenes finished strong, striking out the side in the sixth to keep the Bucs' deficit at one.

Skenes said he felt it was a really good outing outside of the two home run pitches, which he noted could have been located better. The lack of run support hasn’t fazed him.

“It's baseball,” Skenes said. “I've dealt with it before. It's a team sport. It's just the nature of the game.”

The Pirates’ offense couldn’t get going for Skenes again, as they averaged four runs per game in his previous four starts and scored just one with him in the game Sunday. He has reached 103 pitches in each of his last four starts.

Miami taxed Pittsburgh’s beat-up bullpen to add some insurance, and the Pirates dropped to 6-9 in Skenes’ starts this season. Through the six-game cold streak, Pittsburgh’s offense (fifth in the Majors in runs scored) has scored over three runs just once. As the Pirates attempt to stay in contention, they’ll need to win on Skenes day.

“I don't know if it's frustration,” Skenes said. “Just gotta keep going and win the next one.”