Pirates’ Paul Skenes Continues To Struggle in Latest Start

Pittsburgh Pirates star starting pitcher Paul Skenes is having a rough third season in the league after a dominant start to his career.

In his rookie campaign, Skenes started in 23 games, posting a 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts and a 0.947 WHIP. He won the Rookie of the Year award and finished third in Cy Young voting. 

In his second season, Skenes was arguably the best pitcher in baseball, posting a 1.97 ERA, 216 strikeouts, and a 0.948 WHIP, winning the Cy Young Award and finishing sixth in MVP voting.

After those two All-Star seasons, Skenes has struggled in his third season in the league. The 24-year-old holds a 3.97 ERA with 179 strikeouts and a 1.156 WHIP. 

In his latest start against the San Francisco Giants, Skenes had another disappointing outing, making it 4.2 innings and allowing eight hits, five earned runs, and three walks with just four strikeouts.

The three-time All-Star has been one of the best pitchers in baseball in his early career, but the 2026 season has been a down year for him. It comes at a bad time as Pittsburgh has improved drastically as a team and are five games out of a Wild Card spot behind the San Diego Padres.

While it will be difficult for the Pirates to make a climb to the postseason in the final month of the regular season, they have the talent on the roster to go get it done.

Despite Skenes struggling in Tuesday's start, Pittsburgh did get the win, which was their third in a row.

If the Pirates can continue winning down the stretch and the Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who are above them, struggle, Pittsburgh could capitalize and earn a Wild Card spot.

Pittsburgh has not made it into the playoffs since the 2015 season, but they have a shot at a late push this year. If Skenes can get back to pitching at the level he did in his first two seasons, it will help the Pirates as they pursue a playoff berth.