Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitcher Paul Skenes had a dominant outing on Saturday afternoon on the road against the Atlanta Braves. He surrendered one earned run over six innings of work while striking out nine. He walked away with a no decision today as the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 2-1 in 10 innings. Right Fielder Adam Duvall clinched the victory for Atlanta with a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Skenes was tagged for a home run in the bottom of the first and proceeded to toss five consecutive scoreless innings. He allowed six hits today. Skenes is 4-0 this season with a 2.06 ERA. The young star was locked in a pitcher’s duel today at Truist Field as Atlanta Braves Starting Pitcher Max Fried also surrendered one earned over six innings. Will Paul Skenes be able to continue what has been a tremendous rookie campaign up until this point?
Paul Skenes Career Summary
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Skenes was the No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball before this season and has lived up to the hype thus far. He was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of LSU in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes made his long-awaited debut on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs. The rookie has not surrendered more than three earned runs in any of his nine professional starts. He has also surrendered one earned run or fewer in six career starts.
In just his second career start, Skenes struck out 11.
Pittsburgh Pirates Season Summary
The Pirates(39-43) sit in third place in the National League Central. They now sit only three games back of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. Pittsburgh has struggled as of late dropping four of their last six games.
Pittsburgh’s offense has been a weak spot for the team in 2024. They are 26th in batting average, 24th in home runs, and 24th in runs scored. Their offense is led by Left Fielder Bryan Reynolds who is in the midst of a whopping 25-game hitting streak. He is 36th in the league with a batting average of .278 Reynolds leads the team in home runs and RBI as well.
The pitching staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been the better part of their ballclub this season. They are 16th in ERA, 18th in strikeouts, and 19th in opposing batting average. Starting Pitcher Mitch Keller is fourth in the league with nine wins and 22nd in the league with an ERA of 3.20. Closer David Bednar is 10th in the league with 16 saves. Bednar was placed on the 15-day IL with left side tightness.
When Will Skenes Take The Mound Next?
The next scheduled start for Skenes is on July 5 against a New York Mets team that is having a month for the ages. Skenes will look to continue building on a great rookie campaign and the New York Mets offense will provide a formidable test for the youngster.
Pittsburgh plays the Braves tomorrow in the final game of their series before hosting the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday. The Cardinals and Pirates are separated by only three games in the standings. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the pitching of a playoff team, but their offense must come around for them to make some noise in the second half of the regular season. The Pittsburgh Pirates are seeking their first playoff berth since 2015.
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