SI:AM | Paul Skenes Flirts With No-Hitter as Hot Streak Continues

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t blame the Sixers for firing Daryl Morey, but I’m pretty sure their biggest problem is that two of their stars are among the most chronically injured players in NBA history.

In today’s SI:AM:
🏈 Power of NFL scheduling
😅 Raleigh snaps his streak
🇺🇸 Christian Pulisic interview

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Skenes mows them down (again)

Remember way back in late March when Paul Skenes got roughed up by the Mets on Opening Day? The game’s most dominant pitcher didn’t even get out of the first inning, allowing five runs (all earned) on four hits and only recording two outs. That disastrous outing caused his career ERA to jump from 1.96 to 2.10.

But all is right with the world again. Skenes’s career ERA is back under 2.00 after a brilliant start last night against the Rockies.

Skenes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before Mickey Moniak singled on a ball just out of the reach of center fielder Oneil Cruz. He also allowed a one-out double in the eighth to Troy Johnston, but that was it. Two hits and no runs over eight scoreless innings. He struck out 10 and did not issue a walk.

Don’t worry, you’re not having déjà vu. Skenes put up a very similar line in his previous start: eight innings, two hits, seven strikeouts, no walks. That makes him the fourth pitcher since 1900 to record eight scoreless innings with two or fewer hits and no walks in back-to-back starts.

Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, has been on a tear since his weird Opening Day blip. He allowed five earned runs in his first start of the season and six earned runs in his subsequent eight starts combined. His ERA over that span is 1.09. The only starter in the majors with a lower ERA after March 26 is Shohei Ohtani (0.97). That’d be a fun Cy Young race.

Raleigh’s streak snapped

Like Skenes’s ERA, Cal Raleigh’s batting average is finally headed in the right direction. The Mariners slugger (if you can still call him that) ripped a single in the seventh inning of last night’s win over the Astros to snap a hitless streak that had stretched to 38 at-bats. He singled again in the ninth. That brings his batting average all the way up to .166.

So how did he get his luck to turn? Seattle starter Bryan Woo, who earned the win after allowing two runs over six innings, revealed that Raleigh showered in his full uniform after Monday night’s game, thanks to a suggestion from pitcher Logan Gilbert.

“It might have been a good call,” Woo said, “and who knows, maybe that's the difference.”

Two NBA players gone too soon

Sad news yesterday as we learned of the deaths of two NBA players. Current Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was found dead in California. He was 29. Pioneering former Nets and Hawks center Jason Collins died Tuesday at 47, less than a year after announcing he was being treated for brain cancer.

Clarke was a seven-year NBA veteran who spent his entire career with Memphis. He was limited to two games this season due to injury. According to multiple reports, authorities in Los Angeles are treating his death as a possible drug overdose.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies wrote in a statement. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on our organization and the greatest Memphis community will not be forgotten. We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

Collins played 13 years in the NBA for six different franchises. He’s best known for being the first openly gay active player in NBA history, having come out in an essay in Sports Illustrated in 2013.

“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation,” Collins wrote. “I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

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The top five…

… things I saw last night:
5. Victor Wembanyama’s post moves that had Rudy Gobert looking totally helpless.
4. The Sabres’ bizarre game-tying goal. Tage Thompson dumped the puck into the zone and it took a bizarre bounce off the boards, ricocheting off the Canadiens’ goalie and into the net. Zach Benson scored the winner for Buffalo in the third period. (It also happened to be Benson’s 21st birthday.)
3. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s leaping catch after covering a ton of ground in center.
2. Sarah Ashlee Barker’s buzzer beater to give the revived Portland Fire their first win.
1. Pavel Dorofeyev’s mid-air deflection for the Golden Knights’ winning goal in overtime against the Ducks.

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