Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes ended his nine-start winless streak in a 12-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park.
- First baseman Ryan O’Hearn set a franchise record with 10 RBIs, hitting three home runs and turning Skenes' night into a more relaxed outing.
- Despite allowing seven hits and only four strikeouts, Skenes limited the Braves to two runs in six innings, earning praise from managers for his continued elite performance.
Paul Skenes might want to polish his comedy act before trying to take it to Las Vegas.
The Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner isn’t ready to become the next Nate Bargatze. Yet Skenes was able to crack jokes on Tuesday night following a 12-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. And it was a very good sign for the Pirates that their ace could smile again.
For one of the very few times in his three-year career, Skenes was more of an afterthought in this game. Pirates first baseman Ryan O’Hearn hit three home runs and had a franchise-record 10 RBI as Pittsburgh's offense offered more than enough support.
Skenes couldn’t resist making a humorously straight-faced review of O’Hearn’s night, which was one of the greatest offensive performances in Pirates history.
“I think it was kind of selfish, to be honest,” Skenes joked. “Everybody else was getting on, and then home runs are rally killers. You hit a three-run home run or a grand slam, and it's just like, what now? There's nobody on. Nobody can drive him in. Good for him, I guess.”
Paul Skenes finally stops his skid
O’Hearn’s big game was good for Skenes, too, as it helped the big right-hander win for the first time since beating the Colorado Rockies on May 12. The Pirates lost each of the 24-year-old’s ensuing nine starts as he had an 0-6 record and 5.36 ERA. Skenes authored the worst outing of his career his last time out, getting tagged for eight runs in four innings by the Philadelphia Phillies last Wednesday.
There's been plenty of fan angst over Skenes’ losing streak of late. A slight dip in his fastball velocity was concerning the amateur pitching coaches scouring Baseball Savant, and multiple opposing hitters recently told FanSided that Skenes’ pitches lacked their usual crispness.
The Pirates and Skenes insisted throughout his slide that everything was fine. Thus, he did not make a big deal about getting the win and raising his record to 7-8.
“Yeah, it's great,” he said. “Great to help the team win.”
Skenes also shrugged when asked if he had turned a corner with Tuesday night’s performance.
'I don't think so,” Skenes said. “Again, I think throughout the past stretch, there have been a couple of kind of clunky outings. But there has also been a lot of weak contact, and I think today was kind of more of the same. Just got some runs put up earlier and made my life easy."
Paul Skenes not overwhelming but good enough
Skenes did not dominate the National League East-leading Braves, allowing seven hits in six innings and recording just four strikeouts. Yet the Braves managed just two runs.
“He’s Paul Skenes,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “He might not have been pitching up to his usual standard lately, but he’s still one of the best pitchers in the league. You have your hands full anytime you’re facing Paul Skenes.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly was pleased that Skenes could end his losing streak, as it had become apparent that everyone in the Pirates’ clubhouse had grown weary of being asked about it.
“Paul is a competitor who wants to win,” Kelly said. “He does block out the noise very well. That’s hard to do. When you’re as good as he is, the expectations he puts on himself to be able to navigate that … he’s such an elite competitor.”
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