Paul Skenes challenge puts Pirates between a rock and a hard place with little option

Paul Skenes pitched six strong innings on Monday as the Pittsburgh Pirates vanquished the Miami Marlins, 3-2. He amassed nine strikeouts, allowing just six hits and one earned run. Skenes was able to work himself out of trouble on multiple occasions to secure a Pirates victory, an event which has been all too rare since the All-Star break.

Not much has gone right for Pittsburgh after the calendar flipped to August, but Skenes just keeps on chugging. He is, without question, one of the most dominant forces in the majors. There have been a few speed bumps along the way, but Skenes has made 20 starts to date. He has a 10-2 record with a 2.10 ERA and 151 strikeouts. Pound for pound, pitch for pitch, few are operating at his level.

Skenes probably won't win Cy Young because of his limited MLB workload — 120.0 innings to date, compared to 166.2 for presumed favorite Chris Sale — but one could easily argue that Skenes has been the best starting pitcher in the National League.

As the Pirates recede further into the MLB basement down the stretch, however, the coaching staff and front office are faced with a fascinating conundrum. Should Skenes finish the campaign at his current pace, or should the Pirates pull the plug early in an act of preservation?

If you ask Skenes — and surely the Pirates will and have asked Skenes — he has a very clear opinion on the matter.

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Pirates ace Paul Skenes is confident he can finish the season at his current pace

Skenes admitted to ESPN that there "probably is a limit" on how many innings he can throw, but he doesn't believe he will reach that number in 2024. In fact, Skenes is straight-up confident that he can maintain his current pace, which would presumably afford him 2-3 more starts before the season concludes.

"I'm 22. I'm conditioned to throw a lot of innings, I think."

Pittsburgh has been stretching out the intervals between Skenes' starts lately in an effort to preserve his arm in what is amounting to a fruitless season. Skenes' breakthrough gives the Pirates something to build on moving forward, but this season is all but kaput. Thus the hand-wringing over how Pittsburgh might handle the last few weeks of Skenes' schedule.

The age factor does check out on paper. Skenes is young and he's a singular athlete. Plus, at some point, the Pirates presumably want him to shoulder a full workload. Skenes' fastball crossed the 100 MPH threshold six times on Monday, per ESPN. He has seen his velocity wane slightly since that explosive debut in May, but Skenes continues to dazzle on a weekly (or biweekly) basis.

Pittsburgh will probably finish the season with Skenes on a semi-normal schedule. That just seems to be the way things are trending. There's still time for a reversal, but it's good to keep the positive momentum going and to test Skenes' durability, within reason. The narrative flips instantly if Skenes gets hurt, of course, but Pittsburgh seems to be walking that tightrope with reasonable success.

Nobody would blame the Bucs for pulling the plug, though. This season is cooked and Skenes is the beacon that will guide the franchise forward. An abundance of caution is advised.