Pirates' Paul Skenes Next Start Revealed
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes will make his next start in the near future.
Skenes will start for the Pirates in their series opener vs. the Washington Nationals on April 14. He'll face right-handed pitcher Brad Lord, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m., according to the probable pitchers provided by Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
He had a solid outing on Opening Day vs. the Miami Marlins on March 27 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.
Skenes 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.
He excelled in his start vs. the Tampa Bay Rays on April 2, throwing 102 pitches over seven innings, allowing no earned runs or walks and just three hits, while striking out six batters in the 4-2 win for Pittsburgh.
Skenes would have his worst outing of the season vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on April 8 in his season debut at PNC Park.
He pitched six innings, allowing six hits and a walk for five earned runs, but still posted seven strikeouts, as the Pirates lost 5-3.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller will make start the next game on April 15, facing Nationals right-handed pitcher Jake Irvin.
Keller had his best start of the season vs. the Cardinals on April 9, allowing just four hits and a walk over 7.1 innings.
Left-handed pitchers Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney will close out the four game series for the Pirates. Falter will face Nationals left-handed pitcher Mitchell Parker and Heaney takes on right-handed pitcher Trevor Williams, who spent five seasons with the Pirates from 2016-20.
Falter only gave up three hits in his last outing vs. the Cincinnati Reds on April 11, but would allow three earned runs and five runs in total, after some defensive miscues, in the 5-3 defeat.
Heaney had a decent outing against the Reds on April 12, but hit two batters and allowed a grand slam to shortstop Elly De La Cruz, giving the Reds a 5-2 win.
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.