Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes hasnât been his dominant self of late.
The reigning National League Cy Young winner was knocked around his last start, allowing a season-high eight runs (seven earned) over four innings in a 10-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 1. That raised his ERA to 3.62, the highest mark since April 13.
As Skenes prepares for his next start, Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, the Pirates could have legitimate reason to be worried about their staff ace.
Skenes is Winless in Last 9 Starts
Skenesâ recent struggles have coincided with a noticeable drop in velocity. As noted by MLB.com Braves reporter Mark Bowman, Skenes’ four-seam fastball hasnât averaged more than 96.5 mph in any of his last three starts. That is alarmingly the lowest mark of his career, noticeably down from last seasonâs average of 98.8 mph.
Skenes had a 3.58 in five June starts and is winless in his last nine appearances since May 12, the second-longest drought by a reigning Cy Young winner in MLB history.
Despite that, the Pirates donât seem concerned.
âThe most important thing is we arenât getting anything from him that there is any physical issue,â general manager Ben Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan. âI think zooming out, my personal opinion is, this is fairly standard for starting pitchers over time, including elite ones. There are smaller stretches of time where there is some small regression that can be for any number of reasons and then three months later they feel different. Itâs not uncommon.â
Skenes Named to 3rd All-Star Team
Skenesâ overall numbers remain strong, his recent struggles notwithstanding. He is 6-8 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 18 starts. His 119 strikeouts rank fifth in the NL and ninth in the majors, trailing only Jacob Misiorowski (160), Cristopher Sanchez (137), Jesus Luzardo (125), and fellow Pirate Braxton Ashcraft (122).
The 24-year-old was recently named to his third straight All-Star team.
On Tuesday, Skenes will oppose Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep.
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