Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes got some good news a day after the team lost another game after he started.
The 22-year-old will represent the United States in next year’s World Baseball Classic.
On Monday night, Skenes admitted he didn’t have his best stuff, but allowed only one run. But the team blew it late with a 4-3 walk-off loss to the Mets in New York.
It was a no decision for Skenes, who is currently 3-4 on the season.
While he hasn’t been as dominating as expected (a high bar was set for Skenes in 2025) he is still pitching good enough to be a lot better than 3-4.
The issue is run support.
The Pirates have gone 18 games without scoring more than four runs, the longest strength in franchise history.
If the Pirates want to be close to sniffing .500 baseball by the end of the year, they need to win games when Skenes starts.
So far, they’ve only won 3 of his 9 starts.
“You’re 3-6,” said Chris Mueller on The PM Team Tuesday. “I know he has not been the pitcher he was last year, he has not been electrifying . . . saying all that, his ERA is 2.63 . . . he’s hardly been a slouch.”