Pirates’ star Paul Skenes endures an erratic start during loss to the Cubs

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Paul Skenes could tell during his pregame bullpen session on Thursday that he wasn’t quite right.

The Chicago Cubs then went out and offered tangible proof, taking the Pittsburgh ace deep three times in the fifth inning of what became an 8-3 Pirates loss on Thursday in a performance that was decidedly unSkenes-like, at least by the 22-year-old’s remarkably high standards.

It started during his intricate warm-up, when the impeccable command that’s defined so much of the reigning National League Rookie of the Year’s rise to stardom abandoned him.

"Bullpen was a little all over the place," Skenes said after falling to 3-3. “And then went out in the game and was a little all over the place."

Skenes had allowed four walks across his first six starts. He matched that total in the first three innings, including a sequence in the third in which he threw 12 of 15 pitches for balls to walk the bases loaded.

While he escaped thanks to an inning-ending double play, the reprieve didn’t last. Dansby Swanson turned an 0-2 splitter that stayed high and over the middle of the plate into his sixth home run of the season. Three batters later, Kyle Tucker sent a 96 mph fastball - a tick lower than the velocity Skenes usually averages - into nearly the same spot in right-center where Swanson’s homer landed to tie the game.

Skenes then fell behind Seiya Suzuki 3-0. Chicago manager Craig Counsell let Suzuki swing away and Suzuki delivered with a shot to the bleachers in left field to put the Cubs in front to stay.

"He's a great pitcher," Suzuki said afterward through a translator. “He might not have been in the best condition today. But with him, you've got to stay aggressive. In that count, I was hoping for him to just throw it in the zone and I’m glad I got my A swing off."

Skenes had only allowed one homer on the season and 11 total across his first 29 starts. The Cubs clobbered more than a quarter of that total in a five-batter stretch to beat Skenes for the first time in five tries since the top overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft made his debut against Chicago nearly a year ago.

"They fouled off some good pitches, hit some good pitches," Skenes said. “I've just got to execute better."

There was also a bit of fatigue involved. Skenes dazzled in a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, shutting out the World Series champions over 6 1/3 innings in a start that served as a homecoming for the Southern California native.

Six days later, on a sticky mid-spring day less than 24 hours removed from a nightmarish scene in which a fan fell off the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall at PNC Park in the middle of the game, Skenes wasn’t quite as crisp against the highest-scoring team in the majors.

Bench coach Don Kelly - filling in for Pirates manager Derek Shelton, who was attending his son’s college graduation - chalked it up to just one of those starts.

"He's a competitor, man," Kelly said of Skenes. "He went out there and gives you everything he's got every single day. He wanted to keep going and get after it. I don't think his stuff was as sharp there in the third, and then in the fifth it trended down too."

Skenes struck out just two batters, a career low, and gave up loud contact from the first pitch. He retired the Cubs in order in the first but Ian Happ, Tucker and Suzuki all made loud outs, the exit velocity on all three of the outs registering more than 90 mph.

The Cubs have now seen Skenes more than any other opponent during his still-young career. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag. He one-hit them for six innings in his second major-league start but also slogged through five innings against them in late August, only to toss five shutout innings in a rematch the next week.

"I think it changes a little bit each time," Skenes said. “They came out swinging today. Didn't really change throughout the game. Just got to a few pitches."

It didn’t help that he didn’t receive much run support. Thursday marked the third straight start in which the Pirates scored three runs or fewer and only once this season has Pittsburgh had more than four runners cross the plate when Skenes is on the hill.

The last-place Pirates are just 3-4 when Skenes starts, even with his ERA at 2.74, just outside the top 10 in the National League. His next three starts could all be on the road. His next scheduled turns in the rotation are at St. Louis, the New York Mets and Philadelphia.

Skenes, a diligent student of the game who has already developed a reputation as one of the most meticulous preparers in baseball, isn’t confused about what the problem was on Thursday. Or on how to fix it next time out.

"Execute my pitches," he said. “That's the biggest one."