How The Diamondbacks Plan to Handle Pirates Ace Paul Skenes

The Arizona Diamondbacks are facing one of the toughest arms in baseball on Wednesday night, in the form of Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

Skenes is having, by his extremely lofty standards, a bit of a down start to his 2026. He still holds a 2.91 ERA on the season, but is coming off a five-run (three earned) start his last time out. That does not mean he's particularly vulnerable, however, and D-backs manager Torey Lovullo knows that.

"We know we got one of the best in baseball going up against us tonight, and he's going to be prepared. I'm sure he watched the game [Tuesday night] and he's gonna try to do everything he can to not let what happened happen again tonight, not on his watch," Lovullo said.

So how do the D-backs plan to handle one of the most dominant arms in the sport? Simple — Arizona is going to try and work at-bats, create chaos and play the D-backs brand of baseball.

Lovullo explained the approach in his pre-game availability:

Diamondbacks' game plan vs Paul Skenes

Pittsburgh pirates pitcher paul skenes — Apr 30, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) walks in from the bullpen to pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

"We're gonna stick to our game plan," Lovullo said, confidently.

"We're gonna continue to grind down at bats and try to get runners on base. It's always a very simple solution, simple method for us to go out there and create some chaos, get guys on base and then have somebody slug, and that's never going to change.

"I think we're feeling pretty good about it, but we know we got a really tough game ahead of us tonight for sure."

Lovullo, of course, does have a bit of a relationship with Skenes. He managed the right-hander in the 2024 All-Star Game, calling Skenes personally to award him the honor of starting the midsummer classic, as a rookie — a rare accomplishment. Skenes has only continued to dominate since.

Torey Lovullo on his relationship with Paul Skenes

Apr 13, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo (17) walks on the field during a pitch change in the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Lovullo admires the Pirates ace from afar, as many in the sport of baseball do.

"I'm a massive fan of his for 34 starts, minus two if he's gonna be throwing against us, so I'm sure he feels the same way," Lovullo said. We developed a friendship and I'm always pulling for him. I always find a way to get over to him and say hello, check in, see how he's doing.

"He's a very unique person, because not only is he loaded with talent, which everybody gets a chance to see, but the work ethic, the preparation and then just the overall confidence is elite, and you see that play out.

"I'll probably be a fan. I'll be watching, but just a little bit differently tonight. We want to go out there and beat him for sure and I know he feels the same way," the manager continued.

Regardless, the Diamondbacks are not going to have an easy path to victory, in a series they are bordering on desperate to win.

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