Pirates Starting Pitchers Looking to Maintain Dominance in May
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten great performances out of their starting pitchers this month and it's a great sign as they move forward in 2026.
The Pirates starting pitching has posted a 2.85 ERA this month, with 17 earned runs over 47.1 innings pitched, earning a few victories by their outings alone.
Pittsburgh now faces a Colorado Rockies team, who depsite having one of the worst records at 16-25, are a strong hitting lineup and will challenge their pitching staff.
The Pirates will have two of their best starting pitchers go out in this series in Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, plus Carmen Mlodzinski looking to excel as well.
Paul Skenes Ready to Dominate Another NL West Team
Skenes will take the mound against the Colorado Rockies in the series opener at PNC Park on May 12, marking his third start a team from the National League West Division in 2026.
He is coming off an incredible start vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 6, where he threw eight scoreless innings and allowed just two hits, while striking out seven batters in the 1-0 win.
Skenes also gave up one run over 6.1 innings against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park, posting six strikeouts in the 7-1 victory.
The Pirates ace will try and continue the momentum from his great start vs. the Diamondbacks and take down the Rockies in front of his home fans.
This will serve as the third start for Skenes against the Rockies in his career, as he faced them twice in August 2025.
His first start on Aug. 2 at Coors Field saw him throw five scoreless innings and post eight strikeouts before giving up a three-run home run to Jordan Beck and then Braxton Ashcraft came in relief and gave up three more runs, as the Pirates would fall 8-5.
Skenes then bounced back vs. the Rockies on Aug. 24 at PNC Park, giving up just three hits over seven scoreless innings and posting seven strikeouts in a 4-0 victory.
He has a 5-2 record over eight starts in 2026, with a 2.36 ERA over 42.0 innings pitched, 46 strikeouts to seven walks, a .156 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 0.71 WHIP.
Skenes' last start at PNC Park didn't go well, as he gave up five runs over five innings vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on April 30.
He's pitched incredibly well outside of that start and his Opening Day debacle vs. the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26, where he gave up five runs and didn't make it out of the first inning.
Skenes has allowed just three earned runs over 36.1 innings for a 0.74 ERA and he'll try to maintain that when he faces the Rockies.
Mitch Keller Excelling in May
The Pirates will have Mitch Keller throw the second game vs. the Rockies on May 13, marking his third start of the month.
Keller is coming off a quality start vs. the Diamondbacks in the series finale at Chase Field on May 7, where he allowed just two earned runs over six innings in the 4-2 win.
His first start of May was even better, throwing seven innings of one-run baseball and posting six strikeouts in the 9-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the series opener at PNC Park on May 1.
Keller has posted a 4-1 record in eight starts this season, with a 2.87 ERA over 47.0 innings pitched, 35 strikeouts to 14 walks, a .206 BAA and a 1.04 WHIP, with his BAA and WHIP ranked in the top 25 qualified pitches in baseball.
Six of his starts are quality starts (at least six innings, three earned runs or loss), and he's been an incredibly important part of the Pirates starting rotation this season.
Carmen Mlodzinski
Mlodzinski earned his first quality start of the season in the series opener vs. the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on May 8.
He allowed seven hits, but just two earned runs over six innings, as the Pirates went on and lost 5-2, with the bullpen having some issues after Mlodzinski left.
Mlodzinski did give up five earned runs in his first start of the month vs. the Reds on May 2, but pitched well after some early struggles and finished with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
He has a 2-3 record in seven starts and eight appearances, a 4.50 ERA over 40.0 innings, 41 strikeouts to 13 walks, a .283 BAA and a 1.45 WHIP.
Mlodzinski looking to show that he still belongs in the starting rotation and a good start vs. the Rockies will go a long way in proving that.
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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.