PITTSBURGH -- The negative noise around the Pirates’ ace had never been louder. Former No. 1 pick Paul Skenes hasn’t replicated the historic success of his first two Major League seasons.
After a 65-pitch outing in Miami, Pittsburgh opted to give Skenes seven days before his next start, pushing him from Sunday against the Red Sox to Wednesday versus the Tigers at PNC Park. With the extra rest, Skenes allowed three earned runs on four hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings while throwing 81 pitches. Pittsburgh trailed by two after the fifth but came back for a 4-3 walk-off win.
It was the first time Skenes has thrown fewer than 85 pitches in consecutive outings since his first and second starts of the season. He’s walked four batters in three of his last four games.
“I think there's been a lot of good,” Skenes said. “I think there's some stuff, the walks. It's frustrating. Nobody wants to go out there and walk anybody. Nobody's trying to.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly said they weren’t going to push Skenes above 85 pitches after his short outing last time and the time off. Skenes didn’t know about the cutoff but also said he didn’t want to know, as he doesn’t like to count pitches on the mound.
Skenes added that he felt fresh after the time away, maybe even a little too fresh. He believes the extra rest can’t hurt, but understands it’s best to have his body in a good spot entering the home stretch of the season.
“Felt good,” Skenes said. “Just a little out of sync, I guess, kind of the whole outing, which probably makes sense a little bit with the longer rotation. But nice to be back.”
Skenes walked the first two batters he faced, needing 15 pitches to work full counts and not finishing the job both times, though he used his changeup to strike out Dillon Dingler with runners on first and third and escaped the early jam unscathed.
Skenes has a 3.95 ERA in 26 starts this season, a far cry from his sub-2.00 ERA in both 2024 and 2025 to start his career. The reigning Cy Young Award winner’s trademark velocity is noticeably down, making him more hittable. Yet Skenes still finds his way to navigate among the top pitchers in baseball.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and Dingler suspected Skenes would be on a limited pitch count due to his last outing and the extra rest. Dingler said they attempted to attack the four-seam fastball to put more pressure on Skenes and get him out of the game as quickly as possible.
He walked the leadoff batter in the second frame but quickly induced a 6-4-3 double play to erase the threat. Skenes lost his grip in the third with Hao-Yu Lee and Colt Keith starting the inning with back-to-back singles. Kevin McGonigle drove in Lee on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Skenes’ velocity remained down, topping out at 97.9 mph. Dingler ripped a ball to left at 106 mph off the bat, but Bryan Reynolds erased the threat with a diving catch.
Skenes bounced back to strike out two batters in the fourth, using the four-seam fastball to create whiffs. His strikeout of Zach McKinstry was at 96.5 mph while he punched out Spencer Torkelson on a 95.8 mph four-seamer, locating both above the zone.
As he turned to face the top of the Tigers’ lineup for a third time, the end was near. Skenes allowed a leadoff double to Max Clark and walked his fourth batter of the game, Lee. While Skenes was still under 80 pitches, lefty Gregory Soto warmed up in the bullpen, preparing to take on the left-handed McGonigle.
Skenes struck out Keith but gave up an RBI single to Gleyber Torres, finishing his day with the Pirates trailing 2-1. Soto allowed an RBI double to end Skenes’ line with three earned runs.
While Skenes’ command continues to be a concern from the outside, he’s not concerned because he hasn't had command issues in the past. The 24-year-old insists he hasn’t changed anything and must remember what is “real and not real” with noise, using objective numbers and focusing on execution.
“Grinding is a relative thing. I would say that in ‘24 and ‘25, I grinded at times too,” Skenes said. “So I think it's how you view it more than anything. I've been learning a lot, and I'll continue to learn a lot. Just got to keep going.”