Pirates' Paul Skenes Delivers Most Important Start of 2026
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't hit the bat well recently, but luckily for them, they have Paul Skenes in their starting rotation.
Skenes excelled in his start vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 6, throwing eight scoreless innings and 97 pitches, allowing just two hits and posting seven strikeouts.
The Pirates needed every bit of that outing, as the only offense they got was a first inning home run from second baseman Brandon Lowe, the difference in the 1-0 victory.
Skenes has been dominant for large parts of this season, but this start was his most important yet for the Pirates, who need him dealing if they want to make the postseason.
How Skenes Dominated the Diamondbacks
Skenes did post those seven strikeouts, but he got going early by getting quick outs on the ground and in the air, with five groundouts and 12 flyouts.
The most pitches he thew in an inning was 17 pitches and went below 10 pitches in three different innings, making for an efficient and clean outing.
He actually had a perfect game going vs. the Diamondbacks into the fifth inning, before left fielder Lourdes Guirrel Jr. weakly hit a ball down the third base line, that Skenes threw wide of Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz for the first hit of the game.
Skenes then gave up a single to third baseman Nolan Arenado right after that, but got a groundout from catcher Gabriel Moreno to end the inning, not running into any trouble after that.
The Diamondbacks had 19 batted ball events and seven hard hits, but with an average exit velocity of 84.9 mph, the Pirates defense had easier plays to make thanks to Skenes' pitching.
It was the second time in three starts that Skenes flirted with perfection and while he didn't get it, he showed exactly why opposing hitters struggle against him consistently.
“I don’t know what else there is to say, he was unbelievable," Pirates manager Don Kelly said postgame. "Getting ahead in counts, the elite stuff, being able to put guys away, low pitch count, very efficient. He was unreal.”
Skenes also went with a pretty balanced pitch mix, aside from him throwing his fastball almost 40% of the time.
His fastball did work for Skenes, with four of his seven strikeouts coming on it, but he also saw some success with his changeup, posting two strikeouts on it
He went with his splitter more, 21%, which he only had two batted ball events on and one hard hit, but still used his sweeper, changeup and sinker throughout.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 38/97 (39%) | 97.1 mph |
Splitter | 20/97 (21%) | 93.5 mph |
Sweeper | 14/97 (14%) | 84.1 mph |
Changeup | 14/97 (14%) | 88.9 mph |
Sinker | 11/97 (11%) | 96.9 mph |
Skenes Excels Late for Pirates
The eight innings Skenes pitched marked just the fourth time he had pitched that deep into a ballgame in his major league career.
Skenes had a masterful eighth inning, striking out the side. He took down Gurriel on five pitches and on a changeup low, struck out Arenado on six pitches and a changeup that he foul tipped to catcher Henry Davis and then Moreno on six pitches with a splitter in the dirt.
It was an important inning for Skenes, as the Pirates hadn't given him much of a lead, but he still came through and shut down the Diamondbacks.
“It always just goes back to execution," Skenes said on pitching in tough moments. "It’s not easy, but it’s simple. If you execute your pitches, it’s going to go the way you want it to. We got the lead early, it’s nice to get in the first, compared to the sixth, the seventh or the eighth, but those games are fun to pitch in for sure.”
The unfortunate part for Skenes was that he ended up with 97 pitches, which ended his outing and brought in left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto for the save.
Soto came through for the Pirates and threw a scoreless inning and secured the win for the Pirates.
Skenes hasn't thrown a nine-inning game before, but while he wanted to end it on his terms, he knew he had a great reliever that would do what was needed.
"It was easy to pass it off," Skenes said to Hannah Mears of SportsNet Pittsburgh. "He’s Gregory Soto. Everybody know who he is, coming out with the best stuff out there. Tough,but I knew we were going to win the game.”
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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.