Pirates' Paul Skenes Reveals Reason for Struggles Against Reds
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CINCINNATI — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes has had success vs. the Cincinnati Reds prior, but did not do so in his most recent start against them.
Skenes allowed five runs and threw just four innings in the 8-7 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 31, marking one of his more difficult starts of the season,
He struggled early on and the Reds drove up pitch counts on Skenes, as he finished with 99 pitches before departing, with rookie right-handed pitcher Antwone Kelly coming in the fifth inning to keep the Pirates in it.
It was a poor outing from the Pirates ace, who spoke about why he didn't pitch like he needed to in a big game against a divisional foe.
Why Skenes Struggled Vs. the Reds
Skenes gave up two runs in the first inning and threw 35 pitches, an incredibly high number for an outing.
The Pirates ace noted that his delivery takes time, but that it took much longer than he expected and it resulted in a poor beginning to his outing.
"I mean it took pretty much an inning to find my delivery, which happens," Skenes said. "Usually it doesn't look that bad in the first inning, but yeah, just pretty sloppy all around."
Skenes said he felt the sequencing of his pitches more so in the second inning, which resulted in six strikeouts over the next three innings, but not much got better for him afterwards.
He gave up two home runs, a solo home run to left fielder JJ Bleday, tying the game up at 3-3, and then a two-run home run to first baseman Sal Stewart, putting the Reds up 5-3.
Skenes gave up 11 batted ball events, with seven hits allowed and seven hard-hits given up, including four hard-hits off his four-seam fastball and two hard-hits off his sinker.
The Pirates came close to winning this game, going up 7-5 in the eighth inning, if not for poor bullpen and defense after it, but the Skenes start didn't help them in winning this one.
Skenes Addresses Struggles in July
It was not a great month of July for Skenes, who is still finding consistency after dealing with his first MLB slump.
Skenes posted a 3-2 record, but a 6.25 ERA over 31.2 innings pitched, with 42 strikeouts to 12 walks, a .296 batting average allowed and 1.55 WHIP.
Skenes started off the month by giving up career-highs of eight runs and seven earned runs in the 10-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 1, had three strong starts, and has back-to-back starts with five runs allowed, also doing that in 5.1 innings vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on July 25.
He didn't look at the entire month of July as poor, focusing mostly on pitching terribly vs. the Reds, but hasn't been pleased with his walk rates nor the times he's given up contact.
"I mean, I think today was extreme," Skenes said. "Today was just straight up the sloppiest outing of the year for me. I think, other than that, probably haven't been getting ahead in counts enough. You know, walking guys, giving up contact when I don't really want to be giving up contact at times.
"But up until today, I think I've viewed the past month or so as me throwing the ball pretty well, even though it doesn't look like it at all, really. So, yeah, the month as a whole, I don't think has been terrible. Today was pretty terrible."
The Pirates need Skenes at his best, especially as they find themselves in the midst in the National League Wild Card race, with a little less than two months remaining.
Skenes is confident he can get back to his best self, with his next start in a few days, and that he'll eventually get going in the final third of the 2026 season.
"I think it helps that I'll get to do it again in five days," Skenes said. "It's been an interesting year, a little bit, but it could be a lot worse. We'll figure it out. I'm gonna figure it out, but it could be a lot worse."
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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.