It didn't take long for panic to set in. Skenes lasted only 5 innings against the Marlins, his shortest outing since April, and the moment Barstool Baseball's clip hit timelines, the question wasn't 'why did the Pirates lose' — it was 'what's wrong with Skenes.'
Esteury Ruiz takes Skenes deep for a solo shot in the top of the 3rd, part of the rough stretch that got him pulled early.
The Ruiz homer was one symptom of a bigger issue. Skenes' four-seamer averaged a season-low 95.7 mph, down 1.2 mph from his usual number, and he never got the radar gun past 96.5. That's a real dip for a guy who was sitting 98.2 mph as a rookie last year, and it's now been 6 straight starts without touching 98.
Pulled after 65 pitches and the velo was down big time. This could be very bad
That kind of drop from a guy who's supposed to be a Cy Young contender is going to set off alarms, and Eric Hubbs wasn't alone in bracing for bad news. Manager Don Kelly pulled Skenes after 5 and made clear he wasn't going back out for the 6th, no matter how the ace felt about it.
But according to Kelly postgame, this wasn't a medical scare — it was a command issue, plus a workload the Pirates are trying to manage carefully with their franchise arm still working through his first full big-league season. Skenes himself didn't point to anything physical, saying only that he wished he could've gone longer.
Glad it wasn’t injury related. Still so bizarre to see this from Skenes.
So the injury scare is officially off the table, but that doesn't make the trend disappear. A 3.88 ERA and a fastball that keeps trending down are worth watching even without a trip to the IL attached to them. The Pirates clearly think it's the league catching up to him more than anything mechanical breaking down — now it's on Skenes to prove that in his next start.