Skenes (2-2) took the loss against the Guardians on Saturday. He allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four across seven innings.
Skenes got the start Saturday despite operating on just four days of rest. He gave up the first run of the game on a Steven Kwan single in the third inning before yielding a solo homer to Kyle Manzardo in the seventh. Skenes bounced back to strike out two of the last three batters he faced, but he wasn't able to get enough run support from the Pirates' offense to avoid the loss. Skenes leads the National League with 31.1 innings tossed across his five starts, and he ranks third and eighth in WHIP (0.80) and strikeouts (30), respectively. He's slated to make his next start next week on the road against the Dodgers.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Making first start on four days' rest
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Skenes is listed as the Pirates' starting pitcher for Saturday's game against the Guardians at PNC Park.
Not only will Skenes be taking the hill for his bobblehead night, but he'll also be pitching on four days' rest for the first time in the big leagues and for the first time at any level since 2023. Though Skenes doesn't have any history of arm problems, the Pirates have deliberately built in extra rest between starts for the 22-year-old in an effort to preserve his health. The Pirates are still likely to add a sixth starter to the mix during particularly busy portions of the schedule to give Skenes and the other members of the rotation more recovery time between outings, but a four-day rest period should eventually become the norm for the star right-hander as he matures.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Returns to form in victory
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Skenes (2-1) earned the win Monday against the Nationals, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and no walks over six innings. He struck out six.
After allowing a career-worst five runs in his last outing against St. Louis, Skenes looked much sharper in this 99-pitch start. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year induced 10 whiffs in his first career regular-season matchup with the Nationals. Skenes has continued to be a fantasy ace, pitching to a 2.96 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 26:3 K:BB across 24.1 innings. The right-hander lines up to make his next start against the Guardians at home this weekend.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Stingy in first win of year
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Skenes (1-0) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on three hits over seven innings in a 4-2 victory over the Rays. He struck out six without walking a batter.
Last season's NL Rookie of the Year was dominant once again, firing 72 of 102 pitches for strikes, and the only run to cross the plate against Skenes was helped along by an Isiah Kiner-Falefa throwing error in the sixth inning. Skenes has a 1.46 ERA and 13:2 K:BB through his first 12.1 innings in 2025, and he'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Cardinals.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Fans seven in no decision
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Skenes didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's Opening Day game against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out seven across 5.1 innings.
Skenes picked up where he left off from his 2024 NL Rookie of the Year campaign by striking out four of the first six batters he faced Thursday. He gave up single tallies in the third and sixth frames, the latter of which came on a passed ball after being replaced by Dennis Santana. Skenes was further let down by the bullpen in the eighth and ninth innings, costing him the win. A matchup with the Rays likely awaits next week for the right-hander.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Confirmed as Opening Day starter
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Manager Derek Shelton informed Skenes on Saturday that he will start Opening Day against the Marlins.
After he turned in a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 23 starts last season en route to being named the NL Rookie of the Year, it hardly comes as a surprise that Skenes will take the hill for Pittsburgh's first regular-season game. The 22-year-old star hasn't quite matched those numbers this spring (3.60 ERA, 1.70 WHIP), though his 12 strikeouts in 10 innings suggests he's primed for another fantastic season. He'll have the advantage of pitching against a Marlins lineup that finished with the second-worst OPS in the NL last season (.678) and projects to remain weak in '25.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Throws live BP after rainout
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Skenes threw a 45-pitch live batting practice session Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Skenes had been slated for his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Phillies, but the game was rained out. Rather than push their ace back a day, the Pirates elected to keep Skenes on schedule and get his work in with some live batting practice instead. Skenes will be among the first pitchers off the board in fantasy drafts this spring.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Brings home NL ROY
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Skenes was named the 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year on Monday.
This award comes as no surprise for Skenes, who earned 23 first-place votes and seven second-place votes in a landslide victory. The flamethrower posted an eye-poping 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 170 strikeouts over 23 starts (133.0 innings) during his rookie campaign. However, Skenes already has his sights on next season, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I was super pleased with this year, going out there and competing. But there's more work to be done."
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Tagged with tough-luck loss
Rotowire
Skenes (10-3) took the loss Monday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings.
The Pirates failed to give Skenes any run support Monday, which spoiled an otherwise strong start by the rookie. Skenes continues to impress, as he now has 15 quality starts in his first 21 appearances. The 22-year-old has been fantastic as of late, allowing just four earned runs in his previous five starts combined. Skenes' ERA sits at a minuscule 2.07 with a 0.98 WHIP and 158 strikeouts through 126 innings.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Throws season-low 82 pitches
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Skenes did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out six in five innings.
After some shakiness early, Skenes retired seven straight batters to keep the Cubs off the scoreboard in his final three innings. Skenes departed with a 10-3 lead, but the Pirates' bullpen fell apart in the 14-10 loss, keeping Skenes' record at 8-2. The 22-year-old rookie has slowed down ever so slightly in August, allowing multiple earned runs in four of five starts this month, pitching to a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB in 28.1 innings. Of greater concern is Skenes' pitch count -- he threw a season-low 82 pitches Wednesday after throwing 87 his last time out. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington stated last week that Skenes is on an unspecified innings limit, making Skenes' workload difficult to project over the final month of the season.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Dazzles again in eighth victory
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Skenes (8-2) earned the win over Cincinnati on Thursday, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out nine batters over six scoreless innings.
Skenes gave up a walk and a single in the first inning but came out of the frame unscathed on the scoreboard. He was absolutely dominant thereafter, yielding only one more baserunner, who was wiped out on a subsequent double play. Recent conversations in the Pittsburgh organization have centered on shortening Skenes' outings at some point moving forward, but it's not clear if that was a consideration Wednesday, as the rookie phenom was pulled after six frames despite a modest 87 pitches -- his fewest since his MLB debut May 11. Regardless, Skenes has been efficient and excellent enough to be an elite fantasy option even with a slightly reduced workload. He now has a 2.16 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 130:25 K:BB over 104 innings covering 17 starts.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Outings could be shortened
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The Pirates currently have no plans to shut Skenes down but are considering shortening his starts, Ken Rosenthal, Stephen J. Nesbitt and Zack Meisel of The Athletic report.
Skenes has thrown 125.1 innings this season between the majors and minors, which is just a few innings shy of how many he threw in 2023 between college and the minors. With the Pirates' playoff odds looking remote, it could make sense to tap the brakes a bit on Skenes' workload. When/if the team implements Skenes' innings restrictions and whether it would announce it beforehand isn't clear, creating some potential headaches for fantasy managers. While a full shutdown currently looks unlikely, the report notes that the Pirates have a possible incentive to shut Skenes down, as the pitcher would earn an additional year of service time if he finishes first or second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, resulting in him reaching free agency a year earlier.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Season-high four walks in win
Rotowire
Skenes (7-2) picked up the win in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Mariners, giving up two runs on three hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out six.
Despite a season high in walks, the rookie right-hander still came away with his 12th quality start in 16 trips to the mound for Pittsburgh. Skenes' workload in his first full professional season may be catching up to him -- he's walked 11 batters and hit two more with pitches over his last four starts and 23.1 innings -- but the 22-year-old has still produced a solid 3.47 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 9.3 K/9 over that stretch. He lines up to make him next start at home next week against the Reds, and the Pirates could move to a six-man rotation over the final weeks of the year in order to provide young arms like Skenes and Jared Jones (lat) some extra rest.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Saddled with first loss
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Skenes (6-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Cardinals, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out eight over 8.1 innings.
It was an unfortunate way for Skenes to take his first loss in the majors -- the right-hander held St. Louis to one run on a Nolan Arenado solo homer through eight dominant innings. Skenes would come out for the ninth, making a bid for his first complete game, but Michael Siani led off the frame with a double before eventually scoring on an Alec Burleson hit. Despite the disappointing finish, it was another stellar outing overall for the 22-year-old rookie -- Skenes has held opponents to two runs or fewer in each of his last seven outings while logging seven or more strikeouts in 11 of his 12 starts this season. His ERA sits at a pristine 1.93 with a 0.87 WHIP and 97:13 K:BB across 74.2 innings. Skenes is currently lined up to face the Astros on the road in his next outing.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Twirls seven no-hit innings
Rotowire
Skenes (6-0) picked up the win Thursday against Milwaukee, allowing no hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch with 11 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings.
Skenes' excellent rookie season got even better Tuesday, as he tied his career high in strikeouts and logged his second hitless start. He finished the outing by retiring 16 consecutive batters and allowed a baserunner in only the second inning. The 22-year-old is undefeated through 11 appearances and has generated a quality start in nine of his last 10 outings. Skenes will enter the All-Star break with a 1.91 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 66.1 innings.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Continues to dominate
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Skenes allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over six innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on Saturday.
Skenes surrendered a leadoff homer to Jarred Kelenic on his third pitch of the game, but that was the only run the talented rookie allowed. The right-handed hurler matched opposing ace Max Fried with a six-inning, six-hit, one-run line, though Skenes was more dominant with 13 whiffs and nine punchouts. Skenes has gotten stronger as he's settled into life in the big leagues. He's tossed four straight quality starts, posting a minuscule 1.07 ERA along with a 32:4 K:BB over 25.1 innings during that span.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Fans nine in second win
Rotowire
Skenes (2-0) picked up the win in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader split with the Tigers, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out nine.
After the Pirates got blanked 8-0 by Tarik Skubal and the Tigers in the opener, Skenes made sure his squad wouldn't get swept as he generated 19 swinging strikes among his 96 pitches in a dominant performance. The rookie right-hander has reeled off three straight quality starts after lasting just four innings in his big-league debut May 11, and Skenes will carry a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 30:5 K:BB through 22 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next week against the Dodgers.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Set for big-league debut
Rotowire
Skenes' contract was purchased from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of his big-league debut Saturday against the Cubs.
Skenes is the best pitching prospect to come along in over a decade, and his big-league debut is as highly anticipated as any pitching prospect's debut in recent memory. The big 6-foot-6 righty not only had the best statistical performance of any starter in the minors this year, but he has the best pure stuff as well. Skenes logged a 0.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, a 42.9 percent strikeout rate and a 7.6 percent walk rate in 27.1 innings at Triple-A. He has averaged just under five innings per start over his last three starts, but after throwing 129.1 innings in 2023, he should be able to push toward 160 total innings this year with good health.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Next outing will be at Triple-A
Rotowire
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Skenes is scheduled to make another start with Triple-A Indianapolis this week, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Skenes' last start with Indianapolis was his first this season on regular rest, and he wasn't as dominant as he had been, yielding two runs on three hits and a 4:2 K:BB over 4.1 innings. He threw 66 pitches in the outing. The top prospect's major-league debut should be coming sooner rather than later, but the Pirates have opted to give him at least one more start in the minors. Skenes boasts a 0.99 ERA and 45:8 K:BB across 27.1 frames in 2024.
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Pirates' Paul Skenes: Ramps up to 65 pitches
Rotowire
Skenes allowed one hit and two walks while striking out eight across 3.1 scoreless innings in a start with Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.
Skenes has yet to record more than 10 outs in a start this season, but he did increase his pitch count to 65. He was a bit wild with only 37 of his pitches finding the zone, though he still generated 11 whiffs. For the season, Skenes has thrown 12.2 shutout innings while maintaining a 27:4 K:BB.
