Paul Skenes had to be almost perfect last year for the Pirates to have a chance. Times have changed
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes spent last season pitching on a razor's edge, aware that one mistake could tilt the balance of a game, no matter how masterful the Pittsburgh Pirates ace might be. Not anymore. The offense that struggled to score whenever Skenes took the hill in 2025 — the main reason he had a 10-10 record alongside the 1.
97 ERA that won him the National League Cy Young Award — has been transformed, both in personnel and in production, in 2026. It reached the point during a 16-5 victory over Washington on Monday night that Skenes was sort of hoping the Pirates would stop hitting during a 10-run sixth, if only so he could get back to work. No such luck.
By the time the inning was over, 14 batters had come to the plate, the Nationals had switched pitchers twice, and the clock for Skenes (3-1) to return to the mound had run out after six innings of brilliance. “It just took forever, which is what you want,” Skenes said. “I feel like that inning everybody (was) just pulling the rope and passing it off to the next guy.
It was cool to watch. ” A year ago, the worst offense in the majors produced three runs or fewer 18 times in Skenes' 32 starts. The 23-year-old challenged the organization to get serious about winning in 2026, and the normally stingy Pirates made a series of aggressive moves intended to upgrade their lineup and help arguably the best young pitching staff in the majors.
The early returns are promising. Pittsburgh, which was last in runs, home runs and RBIs in 2025, is in the top 10 in all three categories. On Monday night, second baseman Brandon Lowe — acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in December — became the first player in franchise history to have back-to-back five-RBI games when he hit a two-run single in the second and added a three-run homer to cap off Pittsburgh's first 10-run inning at PNC Park in nearly 17 years.