Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes endured one of his worst starts of the year on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings in his shortest outing of 2025, allowing three runs on a season-high seven hits in the Pirates’ 4-1 loss. He also allowed multiple runs in the first inning for the first time in his career.
One of those runs scored on a leadoff home run by Michael Busch — the Cubs’ fourth homer against Skenes this year. No other team has more than two, and he’s allowed just seven long balls in his other 28 starts combined.
In fact, Chicago has owned Skenes this season, batting .302/.397/.585 in three games against the two-time All-Star. Its .982 OPS against him is more than 200 points higher than the next-best team, the New York Mets (.769).
The Cubs are one of the best teams in baseball with one of the sport’s most potent lineups, so it’s not surprising that they’ve had more success against Skenes than other clubs. They faced him four times last year as well, and their seven games against him are the most of any team. They’re simply more familiar with him than other teams, which explains why they have the fourth-highest OPS against him (.737) in his career.
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That trend holds with other NL Central teams, too. Of the 20 teams Skenes has faced this season, his four divisional opponents all rank in the top nine in OPS against him.
Fortunately for the NL Cy Young frontrunner, he only has one potential divisional start remaining against the Cincinnati Reds next week. He’s only faced the Reds once this season in early August, shutting them out over six innings despite yielding a season-high seven hits.
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