It doesn’t happen often, but Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes looked mortal on the mound during Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park.
Skenes wasn’t himself from the start, serving up a leadoff home run to Michael Busch in the top of the first that immediately ended his streak of 11 scoreless innings to open September. He also allowed two additional hits and two walks in the frame, resulting in a second run that gave the Cubs a quick 2-0 lead.
Tuesday was Skenes’ 54th career start, and it was the first time he allowed multiple runs in the first inning. Prior to Tuesday, he’d allowed just six career earned runs in the first inning — good for a 1.02 ERA in the opening frame.
The two-time All-Star yielded another run in the second — another surprise given that he entered the game with a career 1.02 ERA in the second inning as well. He exited in the fourth after just 3 2/3 innings, failing to complete four innings for just the second time in his career.
The NL Cy Young frontrunner took the loss after the Pirates failed to come back, dropping his record to 10-10. His ERA also rose to 2.03, and his seven hits allowed matched a career-worst.
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On the bright side, Skenes still racked up six strikeouts, giving him 209 on the season. He also got up to 92 pitches (58 strikes) after throwing a season-low 64 pitches in his previous outing, proving his arm still has gas in the tank.
With only two starts (max) left in his season, Skenes will try to bounce back in his next outing and attempt to end the year on a high note before turning the page to 2026.
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Featured image via Benny Sieu/Imagn Images