Pirates' Paul Skenes Hits Rough Landmark
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Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes encountered uncharted territory during Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, surrendering five earned runs for the first time in his baseball career - a span covering 74 collegiate and professional starts and 95 total pitching appearances. The 22-year-old right-hander had never permitted more than four earned runs in any previous outing in college, the minors, or during his young MLB tenure.
"They just got to a couple pitches," Skenes said postgame. "It's not like they hit the ball into the river or anything like that. They just found some holes and I got behind in some counts and kind of let them get good swings off."
The Cardinals became the first team to repeatedly solve Skenes, handing him three of his four career MLB losses. His previous high-water marks included one four-run outings as a big leaguer (at the Los Angeles Dodgers on 8/10/24), a four-run start in the minor leagues (vs the Akron Rubberducks on 8/26/23) and three four-run starts over three seasons at Air Force and LSU.
Despite the uncharacteristic results (6 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), Skenes maintained premium velocity with his fastball averaging 97.7 mph and reaching 99. The Cardinals did not hit any home runs, but they were making solid contact all night. Ten of Skenes' 98 pitches thrown were hit hard into fair territory. He used a mix of seven different pitches throughout the game, with his "splinker" being hit particularly hard. The splinker was still occasionally effective, creating eight swing and miss strikes by Cardinals hitters.
Paul Skenes, Nasty 95mph Splinker. 😨 pic.twitter.com/PSbYBAANvC
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2025
“It's not something I'm going to lose any sleep over,” Skenes told reporters after the game. “It's just, it's the game. They're big leaguers. This is their fourth time seeing me. That's just sort of how it goes. Got to tip your cap. They just executed a little better than I did today."
The Pirates' ace saw his season ERA rise from 1.46 to 3.44 following the outing, though he remains among MLB's leaders in strikeouts (20) and WHIP (.82).
Skenes is slated to start Monday night against the Nationals at PNC Park. First pitch is expected at 6:40 EST. The Nationals are projected to start left-hander Mackenzie Gore (1-1, 2.65 ERA, 25 K), in what will be a matchup of two of baseball's best strikeout pitchers. Gore currently leads the majors in strikeouts. Skenes is not far behind, and will be looking to make a strong rebound from an unprecedented weak outing.
Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.