Paul Skenes' early exit vs. Marlins wasn't an injury, Pirates say

Paul Skenes has been baseball's most electric arm since the Pirates called him up, but Tuesday night against the Marlins looked nothing like that. He lasted just 5 innings and 65 pitches, got tagged for a solo homer, and never showed the stuff that made him an All-Star. Naturally, Barstool's baseball crew noticed immediately.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

What’s been going on with Paul Skenes

The homer was one thing. The velocity was the real red flag. Skenes' fastball averaged a career-low 95.9 mph and topped out at just 96.6, according to CBS Sports — and he'd thrown at least 4 pitches at 97-plus in each of his previous 79 starts before this one. That's a stunning drop-off for a guy who was routinely hitting triple digits a year ago, and it's why Eric Hubbs sounded the alarm the second he saw the pitch count and the radar readings.

Eric Hubbs

@BarstoolHubbs

Pulled after 65 pitches and the velo was down big time. This could be very bad

That kind of reaction wasn't overblown paranoia — it was the logical read of a 65-pitch hook on a guy who normally works deep into games. Pirates manager Don Kelly addressed it postgame, insisting the quick exit had nothing to do with an injury. "It wasn't injury-related that he came out," Kelly said, per CBS Sports. "Just thought it gave us the best chance to win there." He also noted, bluntly, that "guys in August aren't 100%."

Skenes himself didn't put up a fight about the hook. "If I were the manager, I'd probably do it too," he said, according to Heavy.com, adding that Kelly "walked me through everything, it all made sense." It's the kind of quote that reads as reassuring on the surface, but it also confirms something was clearly off enough to justify pulling a guy who's usually going 6-plus.

Eric Hubbs

@BarstoolHubbs

Glad it wasn’t injury related. Still so bizarre to see this from Skenes.

None of this makes the bigger picture look great. Skenes' average four-seam velocity has slipped from 98.2 mph in 2025 to 97.0 this year, and he's carrying a 5.00 ERA over his last 16 starts — numbers that have made even the "not injury-related" explanation a tough sell for some in the baseball media, who point to either a mechanical issue or something undisclosed. The Pirates say it's fine. The readings keep saying otherwise.

Sports Central

@SportsCentralBS

What’s wrong with Paul Skenes

For now, the official word is that Skenes is healthy and this is just a rough patch as he grinds through his workload in August. Barstool's baseball accounts will keep watching the radar gun as closely as anyone, and so will Pittsburgh — because if the velocity doesn't come back, the injury denials won't matter much.