Pirates ace Paul Skenes has beaten just about everybody ... except the St. Louis Cardinals
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The almost maniacal preparation Paul Skenes pours into every start is already the stuff of legend, just two years into his career. Still, even the Pittsburgh Pirates ace knows no matter how his pregame routine goes, he's never really sure what kind of stuff he's going to have on a given day until he steps onto the mound and the leadoff hitter steps into the box. Many times, such as last week in Milwaukee, it's nearly perfect .
Then there are afternoons like Thursday against St. Louis, when the command that seems to come so easily looks far more ordinary than extraordinary. Skenes' third pitch of the game landed in the right-field seats at PNC Park courtesy of Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt.
Three batters later, Jordan Walker turned on a sweeper that didn't sweep and sent it into the first row of bleachers in left to give the Cardinals the early momentum on their way to a 10-5 victory and a four-game sweep. The loss dropped Skenes (4-2) to 0-5 against the Cardinals, though that number is a little misleading. His career ERA versus St.
Louis sits at 2. 95, even after allowing five runs, four earned, in his first rocky performance since a bumpy opening day in New York against the Mets. That number is telling of the almost impossibly high standard Skenes has set for himself during his rapid rise from first overall draft pick to arguably the best pitcher in the game.
"Nobody expects more out of Paul Skenes than Paul does out of himself,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I think when he has a game like today or the opener, we have to find a way to pick him, because he picks us up all the time. ” Yet given a chance to put a halt to Pittsburgh's first rough patch this season, Skenes didn't quite have it.
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