Pirates Reveal Next Paul Skenes Start
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes began the season for the franchise and will pitch again soon.
Kevin Gorman of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that upcoming Pirates probable pitchers for their upcoming road series vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, and that Skenes will pitch in the finale on April 2.
Skenes will face off against Rays right-handed pitcher Ryan Pepiot, with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m.
The game will also take place at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., the Spring Training home for the New York Yankees.
Tropicana Field in Saint Petersburg, Fla., the home of the Rays, endured heavy damage from Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9 and they will play at George M. Steinbrenner field for the whole season.
Skenes had a solid outing with seven strikeouts while allowing just three hits and two walks for two earned runs over 94 pitches in 5 1/3 innings of work.
He would've had the win, as he departed with a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning, but the Pirates' bullpen and defense both struggled, as they would lose 5-4 on a walk-off in the ninth inning.
Skenes excelled in 2024 as he started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while recording 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
He was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers last doing so before him in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Skenes also made the All-MLB First Team for his performance in 2024, won NL Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award.
The Pirates will have Carmen Mlodzinski start the series opener on March 31, taking on Rays right-handed pitcher Drew Rasmussen.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton moved Mlodzinski up from the bullpen, after Jared Jones suffered an injury before the end of spring training, which will keep him from pitching until early May.
Pittsburgh doesn't have a pitcher ready for the second game on April 1, but the Rays will have right-handed pitcher Shane Baz start in that contest.
Baz was the "player to be named later" in the infamous Pirates trade, where they acquired right-handed pitcher Chris Archer in exchange for Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.