Pirates' Brandon Lowe Tells All About Playing Paul Skenes
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PITTSBURGH — Brandon Lowe is a new member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he'll serve as one of the most important hitters in the lineup in 2026.
Lowe joined the Pirates from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade on Dec. 19, which also included the Houston Astros, who got right-handed starting pitcher Mike Burrows from the Pirates.
The two-time All-Star has faced the best pitchers in baseball since making his debut in 2018, which features none other than Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes. Lowe now is teammates with Skenes, who will look to further cement himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball going forward in 2026.
Lowe and Skenes' Previous Battles
Skenes and Lowe have battled twice in their careers, facing each other both home-and-away. The two first faced off at PNC Park on June 23, 2024, as Skenes gave up a leadoff home run to Yandy Díaz and then Lowe hit a double off of him in their first duel, but didn't come around to score. Lowe singled off of Skenes in the top of the third inning, but then grounded out in the top of the fifth inning. Skenes finished the day with just one run allowed over seven innings and eight strikeouts.
Skenes and Lowe battled again on April 2 in the series finale at George M. Steinbrenner field in just the second series of the season. The eventual National League Cy Young Award winner got the best of Lowe, forcing him to line out in the bottom of the first inning, struck him out in the bottom of the third inning and a ground out again in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Lowe did score a runner on that play.
Skenes helped the Pirates avoid the sweep, as he got his first win on the season, allowing just three hits and an earned run, while making six strikeouts over seven innings in the 4-2 victory.
Brandon Lowe Speaks on Facing Paul Skenes
Lowe will now play with Skenes this season as one of his teammates, instead of facing him like before. He spoke to the media about facing Skenes and is relieved that he won't have to try and get a hit off him again. He also loves that Skenes not only has the stuff a great pitcher does, but that he can go deep into outings and maintain it.
"I mean, Cy Young is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of him," Lowe said of Skenes. "I don't know anything of his work ethic. I don't know any of that kind of thing. But to see a guy go out, gave you guys seven-plus, to see that out of a starting pitcher nowadays, I feel like is extremely rare."
Lowe also praised Skenes for how he uses his pitch mix and where he locates his pitches, making for an incredibly difficult pitcher to battle.
"I love facing the best competition and the best pitchers out there, and he's one of those pitchers that it just seems like he's — usually you see a thrower or a pitcher. There's very rarely times that you get both, Lowe said. "Then they're built in the same arm. He's got 100 in the tank, but he's not just going to throw that 100 down the middle. He's working edges. He's playing the at-bat.
"I mean, I'm pretty sure I got a front hip changeup off of him. And I was like, 'You can't throw that pitch, man.' Like, you throw something front hip, it's supposed to be at 100 not at 90 and have that kind of movement. So he's not just trying to go up there and blow your doors off. He's going up there to pitch. And I think that's pretty much the reason why he's had the success he's had. I think he's going to have that continued success."
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.