The term “ace” to describe a pitcher doesn’t have a true definition. Some say the ace is the best pitcher in your rotation. Others believe there are only so many aces in baseball, and not every team has one. Another way to describe an ace is someone you expect to win when they take the mound.
The Pittsburgh Pirates, riding a six-game losing streak, need a win. No matter your definition of ace, Paul Skenes fits it. He takes the ball for Pittsburgh against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
The Twins hand the ball to their ace, if you want to call him one, Joe Ryan. Ryan is in the middle of a career year. He’s made 18 appearances and registered a 2.76 ERA. His fastball is incredibly flat, making it difficult to hit and even more difficult to square up. His 15.2% swinging strike rate with it is among the best in baseball. The righty also uses a sweeper and a splitter to put hitters away after jumping ahead with his heater.
Skenes actually has a similar arsenal to Ryan, but deploys it differently. While Ryan’s fastball lives upstairs, Skenes throws his anywhere. His elite velocity allows the pitch to play in the zone, while Ryan relies more on command. The Pirates’ ace uses a sweeper and splitter as well, but he’s in the zone much more often than his Twins counterpart.
Pittsburgh has been unable to provide Skenes with consistent run support, contributing to his 4-7 pitching record. Pitching analysis has evolved far beyond wins and losses. Skenes is just one extreme example. The Pirates’ offense will have its hands full with Ryan, but they’ll need to scrape a few runs across to get their ace his fifth win.
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