Pirates' Paul Skenes Making Most Important Start of His Career
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CHICAGO — Paul Skenes hasn't had a chance to pitch in high-stakes games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but his next start is the biggest of his career so far.
Skenes starts for the Pirates against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 12, with far greater ramifications than in any game he's pitched in before.
The Pirates are 74-74 and five games back in the National League Wild Card race, needing every win they can get over their final 15 contests.
Skenes has the chance to come through in the most important moments of the Pirates' season, and him doing so against the Cubs would be massive.
Is Skenes Ready for the Challenge?
The 2026 season is one in which Skenes hasn't had the performances he's wanted, far from what he showed in his first two years, when he won the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards.
Skenes has a 10-11 record in 29 starts, a 3.83 ERA over 155.0 innings pitched, 181 strikeouts to 45 walks, a .231 batting average allowed and a 1.15 WHIP.
Many of these struggles started in mid-May, with a 4-9 record over his last 20 starts and a 4.71 ERA, and he hasn't found consistency since.
Skenes is working through mechanical issues while also intentionally lowering his four-seam fastball velocity, as he considers his long-term health as a pitcher.
It hasn't been easy for Skenes, who even threw below 96 mph against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park on Aug. 11, the lowest in his career.
Skenes got a week off in August and has pitched better, particularly in two of his past three starts.
He threw six scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Aug. 25, allowing just three hits and posting four strikeouts, then threw 5.1 scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park on Sept. 6, with just four hits, a hit by pitch and a walk, with both games ending as 1-0 victories.
Skenes has his velocity back, but he still has some command issues, particularly with his off-speed stuff, so he isn't quite back to his best self.
Skenes Faces Great Cubs Lineup
The Cubs are one of the better teams in baseball, 82-65 and in the second spot of the NL Wild Card.
They just took down the Pirates, 12-2 in the series opener on Sept. 11, as their lineup took advantage of the Pirates rookie pitcher trio of Wilber Dotel, Khristian Curtis and Antwone Kelly.
It is one of the better lineups in baseball, with the most home runs (204), runs (792) and RBI (748), plus the best slugging percentage (.431) and the best OPS (.771).
The Cubs have the likes of potential NL MVP in center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and power hitters in right fielder Seiya Suzuki and third baseman Alex Bregman.
Skenes has faced the Cubs twice this season at PNC Park, a 7-2 loss on May 28 and an 11-0 defeat on July 25.
He gave up three runs, but just one earned run, while striking out 10 batters over 5.1 innings in the first game and then allowed five earned runs over 5.1 innings in the second game.
Skenes must shut down this Cubs lineup, who will look to secure their NL Wild Card spot as soon as possible, and give the Pirates offense a chance to add some runs themselves.
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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.