CINCINNATI -- Aces are built to be skid stoppers. With the Pirates having lost three straight games, it was naturally Paul Skenes' job to get them back on track.
Despite Pittsburgh’s offense providing some runs to work with, Skenes was unable to do that. The third-year ace allowed seven hits while posting a season-high four walks to give up five runs in just four innings in the Bucs' 8-7 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park on Friday night.
Skenes’ outing rounds out the worst month of his MLB career, producing a 6.25 ERA in six starts and pushing his season ERA to 3.90. The Pirates trailed, 5-4, when Skenes exited for Antwone Kelly in the fifth.
“I think today was extreme,” Skenes said. “Today was just straight up the sloppiest outing of the year for me.”
“I think, other than that, probably haven't been getting ahead in counts enough,” Skenes added when speaking on his rough July. “Walking guys, giving up contact when I don't really want to be giving up contact at times. But up until today I think I've viewed the past month or so as me throwing the ball pretty well, but even though it doesn't look like it at all, really. So the month as a whole, I don't think has been terrible. Today was pretty terrible.”
Skenes, historically, has pitched exceptionally against the Reds, twirling a 1.38 ERA with a 5-0 record in seven starts, entering Friday. Yet Skenes couldn’t find a groove early on, walking two batters and allowing two hits and two runs on 36 pitches in the first inning.
Skenes said it took an inning to find his sequencing and delivery. The Reds took plenty of pitches and fouled off plenty of pitches to drive the count up.
The Pirates offense built Skenes a 2-0 lead to open the contest, but it was quickly erased. Jake Mangum earned the lead back with a solo shot in the second and Skenes answered with a clean bottom half, striking out two in the inning.
But just as it looked like Skenes hit his stride, JJ Bleday unloaded on a 96.3 mph fastball for a no-doubt homer in the third -- the first home run Skenes has allowed against the Reds in his career. His inning only unraveled from there. He walked two more batters and ballooned his pitch count to over 80 through three innings after striking out Noelvi Marte to leave the bases loaded.
To close his outing, Skenes gave up a triple to Elly De La Cruz and a two-run homer to Sal Stewart to dead center, giving Cincinnati the lead again in the fourth.
“His accolades speak for themselves,” Stewart said. “He’s a great pitcher. Not only does he have good stuff, he also knows what to do with his stuff, so it makes it really difficult. You just have to put together good at-bats. I feel like we did that. We were able to push his pitch count up, which was also a positive for us, and we had to execute.”
Skenes’ month began with the worst start of his career, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in Philadelphia. He snapped a nine-game winless streak dating back to early May with three straight victories before what he described as a “weird” outing occurred against the Cubs in his ninth loss of the season.
The Pirates battled back to allow Skenes to finish with a no-decision. Though, had he shut down the Reds like he usually does and quieted the team with the lowest batting average in the National League, Pittsburgh could’ve gotten back on track.