Skenes (10-3) took the loss Monday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven over six innings.
The Pirates failed to give Skenes any run support Monday, which spoiled an otherwise strong start by the rookie. Skenes continues to impress, as he now has 15 quality starts in his first 21 appearances. The 22-year-old has been fantastic as of late, allowing just four earned runs in his previous five starts combined. Skenes' ERA sits at a minuscule 2.07 with a 0.98 WHIP and 158 strikeouts through 126 innings.
Skenes (10-2) got the win Monday over the Marlins, giving up one run on six hits and one walk while striking out nine over six innings.
Skenes was sharp yet again Monday, holding the Marlins to one run through six innings. Skenes recorded nine strikeouts and surpassed Cy Blanton in 1935 for the most strikeouts by a Pirates rookie in franchise history. Skenes now has 151 strikeouts this season, making him the fifth pitcher since 1920 with 150 or more strikeouts in his first 20 pitching appearances. The 22-year-old lowered his ERA to 2.10, and he now has 14 quality starts in his first 20 big-league appearances.
Skenes (9-2) earned the win Tuesday over the Cubs, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out six over five shutout innings.
Skenes' control was a little shaky -- he walked four batters for the second time in his last four starts. His pitch count was back up to 100 (62 strikes), though that's not particularly encouraging considering he completed just five frames. The 22-year-old is now at a 2.13 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 142:30 K:BB through 114 innings over 19 starts this season. Skenes is on a workload limit, but the Pirates have not revealed how many innings he'll finish with this year. He's tentatively expected to make his next start at home versus the Marlins since Domingo German is expected to join the rotation on Wednesday, giving the Pirates six starters.
Pirates' Paul Skenes: Throws season-low 82 pitches
Rotowire
Skenes did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out six in five innings.
After some shakiness early, Skenes retired seven straight batters to keep the Cubs off the scoreboard in his final three innings. Skenes departed with a 10-3 lead, but the Pirates' bullpen fell apart in the 14-10 loss, keeping Skenes' record at 8-2. The 22-year-old rookie has slowed down ever so slightly in August, allowing multiple earned runs in four of five starts this month, pitching to a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB in 28.1 innings. Of greater concern is Skenes' pitch count -- he threw a season-low 82 pitches Wednesday after throwing 87 his last time out. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington stated last week that Skenes is on an unspecified innings limit, making Skenes' workload difficult to project over the final month of the season.
