It was more of the game from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, who failed to get a run across as they lost to the Seattle Mariners 1-0, to lose their third straight game. Offense has been a problem for Pittsburgh. They’ve allowed the fewest runs per game in the National League, but still find themselves 15 games under .500.
Leading the staff is 2024 Rookie of the Year and 2025 All-Star Paul Skenes. He took the ball on Sunday and put in five innings of shutout baseball, striking out 10. It was his third straight start of fewer than six innings, though the previous two saw the righty navigate some difficult innings. His outing on Sunday was pure domination, and the length was by design.
Skenes only threw 78 pitches on Sunday, his lowest pitch count of the season. After the game, Pirates manager Don Kelly spoke about managing Skenes.
“He wants to be on the mound, but he’s also in the top five in innings pitched,” Kelly said. “We’re trying to find ways to manage that with him and for him. We want him for the full season, and we want to make sure he’s in a good spot.”
While smart to manage Skenes’ workload and protect his arm, it proved costly on Sunday. Almost immediately after Skenes was lifted, Carmen Mlodzinski surrendered a solo home run to Randy Arozarena. Between a great performance by Mariners starter George Kirby and a tough Seattle bullpen, the Pirates only managed six base runners and stranded them all.
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