Skenes Shines: Pirates Crush Diamondbacks with Star Pitching

Skenes Regains Momentum as Pirates Shutout Arizona

The Pittsburgh Pirates allowed Paul Skenes to take on a more regular workload, and the results were immediate. Skenes struck out nine batters in six innings, allowing only three hits. The Pirates managed to shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second consecutive day, defeating the opposing team 6-0 on Sunday. This was Skenes’ fourth scoreless outing in his last five starts. On this occasion, the pitcher made 99 pitches, his highest number in over a month.

“We are getting him back into rhythm little by little,” manager Don Kelly told the media.

Don Kelly, Pirates Manager

The Pittsburgh pitching staff is showing great performance. The Pirates beat Detroit 6-1 on Wednesday, and then lost 1-0 in 11 innings against Arizona on Friday night, where the only run was unearned. Subsequently, Pittsburgh outscored Arizona 8-0 in the last two games of the series. This was the most pitches for Skenes since he threw 105 against Detroit on June 19. In his next five starts, he didn’t throw more than 88. Kelly visited the mound in the sixth inning, generating boos, but allowed Skenes to complete the episode.

“It’s a hot day, he’s approaching 100 pitches. We’ve kept his pitch count a little low,” Kelly commented. “We just wanted to make sure he was in a good position to finish.”

Don Kelly, Pirates Manager

Skenes has thrown 133 innings this season, matching his rookie season total in 2024. Skenes lowered his ERA to 1.83, the best in the league. The Pirates also provided offensive support, as this was only the seventh time in his 22 starts this year that Pittsburgh scored more than three runs.