Paul Skenes hasn’t been his Cy Young Award-winning self this season, and Tuesday’s start almost bordered on shocking.
The Pirates ace threw just five innings — and just 65 pitches — before being yanked from the game in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins.
He yielded just two runs against Miami, striking out four, but did serve up a solo homer in the bottom of the third and an RBI single in the fifth.
Skenes, who hit 99 mph or higher on his fastball 68 times last season, did not exceed 96.5 mph on his heater at loanDepot park. His last fastball registered at 95 mph on his 57th pitch of the game.
The right-hander’s numbers in August, from a runs allowed standpoint, have improved. Skenes surrendered five runs in each of his final two starts of July and has allowed five in total across his first two games this month.
But for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick and three-time National League All-Star, the numbers (3.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) have been far from what baseball fans have been used to seeing. And each of his starts in August have been five frames long.
“If I were the manager I’d probably do it too,” Skenes said, according to USA Today. “He walked me through everything and it all made sense.
“Wish I could have gone more but, you know, it kind of is what it is.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly said Skenes coming out at that after five innings did not have anything to do with an injury.
“Anybody this time of year is … not injured, but guys in August aren’t 100 percent,” Kelly told reporters, per MLB.com. “It wasn’t injury-related that he came out. Just thought it gave us the best chance to win there.”
Skenes has now recorded three starts of 65 or fewer pitches this season after doing that just twice over his first two big league campaigns. One year ago, he fastball averaged 98.2 mph. This season it has dipped to 96.9 mph.
Before the game, according to MLB.com, Kelly said a lot of Skenes’ issues have come because hitters across baseball have become accustomed to his stuff.
“The league is adjusting back,” Kelly said. “Paul’s gonna have to fight to make the adjustment back to the league and find a way to adjust himself.”
