Three home runs in an inning off Skenes? Wow, how?
As Paul Skenes stood in front of his stall this afternoon in the Pirates' clubhouse at PNC Park, following their8-3loss to the Cubs, he was short, less descriptive than normal in his responses to reporters' questions.
One could sense the disappointment.
He scattered five hits and struck out two while giving up three earned runs over five innings, a line that would be considered average for countless starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. And yet, this was his fifth inning:
That's right. Three home runs. Same inning.
In 30 big-league starts of an already brilliant career, he's now given up multiple home runs twice. The other occasion came last season, and it was just two.
But there they went, anyway, off the bats of Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki, the latter two back-to-back.
"Execution wasn't there. Kind of spraying the ball," Skenes said. "Got away with it there for a while and obviously it showed up a little bit in the fifth, but it is what it is."
The middle home run, Tucker's, came on a first-pitch 96.4 mph fastball in the lower left corner of the strike zone. It wasn't the worst placed pitch, but it was in a zone where Tucker, a .278 hitter this season with eight home runs, could turn on it and send it into the first row of seats in right center field. It had an exit velocity of 103 mph and would've been a home run in 22 of 30 major-league ballparks.
But the other two were mistakes on splinkers left over the heart of the plate and atop the zone.
"Good pieces of hitting," Skenes would say of the Cubs. "I don't know. I probably missed my spot. But yeah, good for them."
Skenes struggled throughout the day with his command as he tried to work through a lineup that is currently one of the best in the majors. The Cubs rank top five in batting average (.264; 2nd), on-base percentage (.342; 2nd), slugging percentage (.462; 3rd), OPS (.799; 2nd), RBI (188; 1st), home runs (46; 3rd) and hits (298; 1st).
"He just didn't seem as sharp today," said Don Kelly, the Pirates' acting manager today as Derek Shelton attended his son's college graduation from Florida Atlantic University. "He's a competitor, man. He went out there and gives you everything he's got every single day. He wanted to keep going and get after it. I don't think his stuff was as sharp there in the third, and then in the fifth it trended down too."
Skenes set down six of his first eight hitters, stranding Ian Happ in the first after a leadoff single and then leaving Nico Hoerner at first after a leadoff walk. However, in the third inning, after retiring Nicky Lopez with a lineout to Adam Frazier at second, Skenes loaded the bases with three straight walks.
It was an uncharacteristic sequence for a pitcher who's never walked more than four hitters in game. But, then again, Skenes also has the ability to get out of jams like that and did so again today as Michael Busch swung at the first pitch he saw in the next at-bat for an inning-ending double play.
"We turned a good double play," Skenes said, "and everything circled back to execution."
Imagine his mood the next time the Pirates circle back to his turn in the rotation.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
6:40 pm - 05.01.2025North ShoreThree home runs in an inning off Skenes? Wow, how?
As Paul Skenes stood in front of his stall this afternoon in the Pirates' clubhouse at PNC Park, following their 8-3 loss to the Cubs, he was short, less descriptive than normal in his responses to reporters' questions.
One could sense the disappointment.
He scattered five hits and struck out two while giving up three earned runs over five innings, a line that would be considered average for countless starting pitchers in Major League Baseball. And yet, this was his fifth inning:
That's right. Three home runs. Same inning.
In 30 big-league starts of an already brilliant career, he's now given up multiple home runs twice. The other occasion came last season, and it was just two.
But there they went, anyway, off the bats of Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki, the latter two back-to-back.
"Execution wasn't there. Kind of spraying the ball," Skenes said. "Got away with it there for a while and obviously it showed up a little bit in the fifth, but it is what it is."
The middle home run, Tucker's, came on a first-pitch 96.4 mph fastball in the lower left corner of the strike zone. It wasn't the worst placed pitch, but it was in a zone where Tucker, a .278 hitter this season with eight home runs, could turn on it and send it into the first row of seats in right center field. It had an exit velocity of 103 mph and would've been a home run in 22 of 30 major-league ballparks.
But the other two were mistakes on splinkers left over the heart of the plate and atop the zone.
"Good pieces of hitting," Skenes would say of the Cubs. "I don't know. I probably missed my spot. But yeah, good for them."
Skenes struggled throughout the day with his command as he tried to work through a lineup that is currently one of the best in the majors. The Cubs rank top five in batting average (.264; 2nd), on-base percentage (.342; 2nd), slugging percentage (.462; 3rd), OPS (.799; 2nd), RBI (188; 1st), home runs (46; 3rd) and hits (298; 1st).
"He just didn't seem as sharp today," said Don Kelly, the Pirates' acting manager today as Derek Shelton attended his son's college graduation from Florida Atlantic University. "He's a competitor, man. He went out there and gives you everything he's got every single day. He wanted to keep going and get after it. I don't think his stuff was as sharp there in the third, and then in the fifth it trended down too."
Skenes set down six of his first eight hitters, stranding Ian Happ in the first after a leadoff single and then leaving Nico Hoerner at first after a leadoff walk. However, in the third inning, after retiring Nicky Lopez with a lineout to Adam Frazier at second, Skenes loaded the bases with three straight walks.
It was an uncharacteristic sequence for a pitcher who's never walked more than four hitters in game. But, then again, Skenes also has the ability to get out of jams like that and did so again today as Michael Busch swung at the first pitch he saw in the next at-bat for an inning-ending double play.
"We turned a good double play," Skenes said, "and everything circled back to execution."
Imagine his mood the next time the Pirates circle back to his turn in the rotation.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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