Pirates’ Paul Skenes exits start after 5 innings, 65 pitches: ‘It is what it is’

Paul Skenes pitched another uncharacteristic outing Tuesday that ended with the National League’s reigning Cy Young Award winner departing after just five innings and 65 pitches in a 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins.

“If I were the manager, I’d probably do it, too,” Skenes told reporters. “Wish I could’ve gone more, but it kinda is what it is.”

Though Skenes limited the damage to just two runs (one earned) on five hits with four strikeouts against one walk, he’d been hit hard all night at LoanDepot Park. Of the 21 batters Skenes faced, eight recorded hard-hit balls, which are batted at 95 mph or greater. His velocity has continued to sink lower than his average speed in past seasons.

Specifically, his four-seam fastball sat at 95.7 mph and topped out at 96.5 mph. The 95.7 mph average was down from his 2026 average of 96.9. That was down from 2024, his rookie year, and 2025.

The 65 pitches thrown represent the third fewest Skenes has delivered in an outing this season, after an Opening Day meltdown against the New York Mets in which he lasted two-thirds of an inning (37 pitches) and an April home start against the Tampa Bay Rays (64 pitches).

“He’s the manager, and I don’t ever argue with it,” Skenes said when asked whether he’d pleaded his case with manager Don Kelly. “Like I said, I understand why.”

After that first clunker of an outing, one in which he exited with a 67.50 ERA, Skenes returned to form over his next eight starts, posting a 1.09 ERA over 49 1/3 innings. That run of success was short-lived, however, and over his past 15 starts entering Tuesday, he had a 5.20 ERA. He hasn’t completed seven innings since his first outing after the All-Star break against the Cleveland Guardians.

His lines since then:

• 5 1/3 innings, six hits, five runs, two walks, 11 strikeouts (105 pitches)
• Four innings, seven hits, five runs, four walks, seven strikeouts (100 pitches)
• Five innings, two hits, three runs, four walks, six strikeouts (93 pitches)

“You see a guy who set the bar so high from his first two years in the major leagues,” Kelly said before the game. “He’s going out there trying to achieve the same bar. The league is going to adjust. … Paul’s gonna have to fight to make the adjustment back to the league and find a way to adjust himself.”

At 96.9 mph on average, his four-seam fastball still charts in the 85th percentile of the league, sitting near Tarik Skubal, Gerrit Cole and George Kirby. Earlier in the season, Skenes said the lack of velocity was “by design,” casting aside worries he could be working through an injury. Instead, it was the opposite.

“I don’t think the line from A to B is straight — like, if you throw hard, you’re going to get hurt,” Skenes said in June. “I don’t think that’s the case, but the biggest thing that you can do to provide for your team and for yourself is to be on the field. If you’re not on the field, you’re not doing anything to help the team win. So that’s it.”

He doubled down on his approach at the All-Star Game.

“I don’t think velocity is something I need to pitch well,” Skenes said on media day. “I think it’s probably the first time in my career the velo has kinda dipped. It’s not something that I’m stressed over at all. I’m healthy. I’m feeling good and still pitching at a high level.”

The results, however, speak differently.

At 58-63, the Pirates stand six games back of the NL’s third wild-card spot, behind five other teams, including two within their own division (the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds). After wrapping up a three-game set against the Marlins on Thursday, the Pirates will enter one of the most difficult parts of their remaining schedule: six home games against the surging Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers (three each) and a nine-game trip against the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Cardinals, the latter two of which Pittsburgh is competing against in the wild-card race.