PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The third home start of Paul Skenes career started quickly with plenty of heat and plenty of runs as the Pirates take a second straight from the Dodgers, 10-6 Wednesday night.
Skenes stuff
The rookie right-hander would strike out Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani on 100 mile-an-hour pitches and throw three more to Freddie Freeman before he flew out to start the game. Ohtani’s payback would be in the form of a two-out bomb over the centerfield wall. Skenes would give up a leadoff homer to Andy Pages in the fifth, eventually getting out of the inning after a pair of singles with a 7-3 lead.
Skenes would go 5 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, a walk and 8 strikeouts, throwing 93 pitches (61 strikes). It would match the most runs given up in a start, the first overall pick gave up three runs in his debut to the Cubs on May 11.
"It's impressive, but I think the other thing we've got to realize is this guy is part of our rotation now," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. "I'm really excited that our fans are into it. It was a really great crowd tonight, and they're after it. That's very cool to see."
The Pirates continue to support Skenes with far and away more runs than any other starter, through five starts 45 runs. By comparison, Jared Jones has started 12 games and the Bucs have scored 33 runs.
Gas men
How often are you going to see a Skenes start where he doesn’t throw the fastest pitch of the game. He didn’t even through the fastest pitches of the game. That belonged to reliever Aroldis Chapman, who at age 35 threw a 104 mile-an-hour fastball to Thoscar Hernandez (he fouled it off). It’s the fastest pitch in the majors this year (beating Pittsburgh native Mason Miller, 103.7 mph). It was one of five pitches over 103 miles-an-hour in that inning including one that struck out Ohtani.
Was Chapman trying to show that he still has the best velocity on the team?
“That time is in the past," Chapman said with a smile through an interpreter. "Those are old times. I’m just in a good spot, healthy and trying to do my job. Not trying to do that, it’s way behind me.”
Overall the Pirates threw 28 pitches over 100 miles-an-hour.
"The game has changed," Shelton said. "I would say that. It's funny, Donnie and I had a conversation last year, there was a reliever that came in that was a little-known guy and the first pitch he threw was 100. You used to know everybody that threw 100. The game's changed, man. These guys are power arms. They're going at it. I think you saw a really good display of power arms today."
It was the 288th pitch of 103.0+ mph of Chapman’s career, by far the most in baseball since 2008 (second best is Jordan Hicks with 94). It was also the fastest pitch in the majors this year
“I just felt good with my fastball tonight," Chapman said modestly. "That’s what I did, throw my fastball.”
2nd stage
The second inning started innocently as Edward Olivares drew a walk against unbeaten Dodgers starter James Paxton. It quickly accelerated into 7 runs:
· Ke’Bryan Hayes with a sharp single to left as Hernandez bobbled the ball allowing Olivares to third and Hayes to second
· Nick Gonzales followed with a broken-bat liner past 3B Chris Taylor to make it 2-0
· Yasmani Grandal singled Gonzales home, 3-0
· Jared Triolo with a sharp, six-pitch single to left-center
· 26 home runs last year, Jack Suwinski bunted the runners up a base
· Andrew McCutchen walked
· Bryan Reynolds drove in Grandal and Triolo with a single, 5-0
· Olivares this time singled in the inning, adding an RBI to a run scored in the second inning, 6-0
· A passed ball would score Reynolds, 7-0
Gonzales would drive in two more runs on a sacrifice fly in the fifth and a single in the seventh. Hayes also had a RBI single in the seventh.
"Definitely feels good helping the team," Gonzales said. "That's the name of the game, to score runs, and if I can help the team and do that, then that's good."
Up Next
The final game of the three-game series with LHP Bailey Falter (3-2, 3.22 ERA) against RHP Walker Buehler (1-3, 4.32 ERA). Falter is coming off a stellar May, 1-0, 2.23 ERA, 32.1 innings pitches in 5 starts with 9 walks and 15 strike outs. The WHIP was 0.96. Dan Zangrilli hosts the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show on 100.1 FM and AM 1020, KDKA at 5:45p.