Paul Skenes Demonstrates True Skill by Navigating Challenges in Pirates' Shutout of Reds

Paul Skenes' performance in today's game wasn't flawless.

Nonetheless, the ace right-hander of the Pirates successfully pitched six scoreless innings, leading the team to a 7-0 victory over the Reds, marking the first win of the four-game series.

The Reds managed to hit seven singles off Skenes, which is the most he has allowed in his 47 career starts. However, the Reds failed to hit a single during five opportunities with runners on base, leaving six runners stranded in the first six innings, and none reached third base.

Pirates' manager Don Kelly remarked about Skenes, saying, "He has that talent. He possesses elite pitching ability, but when he finds himself in trouble, he can find various ways to resolve issues, getting strikeouts or inducing double plays. He has the instincts of a pitcher. Although he has great velocity, he is still a pitcher who can leverage those strengths to induce double plays or get strikeouts when needed. There aren't many like him."

Skenes enjoys the challenge of pitching with runners in scoring position. This season, he has limited opponents to a batting average of .175 in such situations.

“Yes, that's when you can truly see what you can do. I think that's the most important part,” Skenes said. “I believe every time you step on the mound, you can see what you can achieve. Sometimes, when facing external pressure rather than internal pressure, you can actually gauge your strength. I think if I'm pitching in my windup, it’s all about internal pressure, so to speak, but at that moment, there's not much room for error. So you just have to see what you can accomplish.”

Skenes just returned to form after last Sunday’s loss against the Rockies, where he allowed four runs over five innings. However, today he lowered his league-leading ERA from 2.02 to 1.94 and extended his scoreless innings streak against the Reds to 22 innings.

Reds' manager Terry Francona witnessed Skenes' pitching performance firsthand and was clearly impressed, especially with Skenes' ability to remain calm in tough situations.

“I've seen him enough times on TV to know we were going to face a challenge. We knew that long ago,” Francona said. “But honestly, I think our players did quite well. We didn't swing wildly; he didn't force us to chase every pitch, and we managed to get some hits at certain moments. Like a truly great pitcher, he threw some outstanding pitches in key situations.”

Cam Sanders, Ryan Borucki, and Kyle Nicolas each pitched an inning to complete the shutout with nine hits allowed.

Skenes has not allowed a run in his last five home starts, extending his scoreless streak at Allegheny River to 27.2 innings.

“I don’t really know,” Skenes replied when asked why he has been so successful at Petco Park. “Maybe it's sleeping in my own bed? I'm not really sure, honestly.”

Bryan Reynolds hit a solo homer in the first inning, while Jared Triolo contributed a two-run single in the same inning, helping the Pirates quickly take a 3-0 lead. Henry Davis' two-run homer, his first since June 8, extended the Pirates' lead to 7-0.

Reynolds, Triolo, and Davis each contributed two of the Pirates' ten hits. Andrew McCutchen walked four times, tying his career high for walks.