Pirates' Paul Skenes Still Getting Better in 2026
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes is perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball, and yet, he's not done getting better.
Skenes flirted with perfection and almost threw a no-hitter in his most recent start vs. the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park on May 12, for one of the best outings of his career.
He didn't achieve either milestone, but the Rockies lineup couldn't do anything against Skenes, as he threw eight scoreless innings, allowed just two hits and tied his season-high of 10 strikeouts in the 3-1 win.
Skenes is still just 23 years old and it's clear that while he's great right now, he is still finding ways to improve as a starting pitcher in 2026.
Skenes' Start vs. Rockies Shows Improvement
It was one of the best beginnings to a start that Skenes has ever had, as he struck out the first six batters he faced, before having to field a bunt from Rockies third baseman Willi Castro to start the third inning.
Skenes got four of these strikeouts on his fastball, which he generated 11 whiffs on 24 swings for a 46% whiff rate, a high percentage.
Maybe more impressive from Skenes was that his fastball velocity was around 96.4 mph, a tick below his yearly average, but he still managed to make his most effective pitch of the night.
He located his fastball with precision, keeping it away from hitters, either on the outside corner, or just elevating it, as he did four straight times on his sixth strikeout against Rockies designated hitter Troy Johnston.
Paul Skenes, 4 Pitch K (all elevated Fastballs).
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 13, 2026
Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/qpRHUNsHOH
Skenes, after throwing his fastball 61% in the first time through the order, then went with it 44% of the time the second time and then just 28% of the time the third time, finishing with six strikeouts total.
He relied on his other pitches, like his sweeper, changeup, sinker and splinker to get the job done. His changeup was also quite effective, for three strikeouts.
"Fastball command was pretty good," Skenes said postgame. "Sinker was I think better than it has been even though we didn't throw it a ton. I was happy with the slider. Changeup was good at times. Splinker was alright."
What Skenes showed in this start is that he's getting better at recognizing what works earlier on and if he needs to make a change, he can do that and have strong outings consistently.
Skenes Inches Closer to Perfection
The Pirates have never had a pitcher throw a perfect game nor had a no-hitter in almost 30 years, but Skenes has been close on multiple occassions in 2026.
Skenes retired the first 20 batters in the 6-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on April 24, before giving up a single to first baseman Jake Bauers with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning that ended his perfect game attempt.
He also had a perfect game going in his last start vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 6 before throwing a ground ball wide of first baseman Spencer Horwitz in the fifth inning.
Skenes still finished that game with an almost similar stat line, eight scoreless innings, just two hits allowed and seven strikeouts.
He is still looking for his first true complete game, aside from the perfect game and no-hitter, as his only complete game came over eight innings in a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 18, 2025.
The Pirates have practiced caution with Skenes and making sure he's healthy for the next start, which some fans might not like, as they want to see him go all the way.
Skenes trusts the Pirates to keep him in the right place, and in the middle of May, there's still more than 20 starts that he has to throw in.
"I'm always objective with Donny," Skenes said. "I always tell him how I feel. It's his decision. I'll always have his back on it. I know he'll probably always protect me too. It's a long season. That was start nine out of 32-33 and then hopefully eight or nine more after that so, just got to see the big picture."
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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.