PIRATES

No one expected Paul Skenes to dwell on an unproductive opening day start and let it affect the next one, did they?

As he’s done throughout the sensational start to his big-league career, Skenes quickly flushed his short 37-pitch outing in New York and turned things around with five innings of one-run ball in the Pirates’ 8-3 win over the Reds this afternoon here at Great American Ball Park.

Skenes allowed an earned run on three hits while walking two and striking out five over his five innings. It was just the latest instance in which he's followed up a lackluster showing with a more productive one. Skenes has allowed four or more runs in six career starts. In the outing to follow, he's never allowed more than two runs and has provided either five or six innings of work. 

"Still a work in progress," Skenes said. "But nice to give some volume and be out there for more than two-thirds of an inning."

It was rather appropriate that this start came against the Reds, a team Skenes has had a tremendous amount of success against so far in his career. The run he gave up on a fourth-inning double by Nathaniel Lowe snapped a scoreless streak of 31 straight innings against the Reds. That's the fourth-longest scoring streak by a Pirates pitcher against any opponent since 1961. Prior to today, Skenes hadn't allowed a run against the Reds since the second inning of his first start against them on June 17, 2024. In six career starts against Cincinnati, he has now given up just two runs, walked four batters and struck out 45 over 34 innings.