Pirates Ace Paul Skenes Wins Tense Pitching Duel With Jaw-Dropping Masterpiece
The reigning NL Cy Young winner was at the top of his game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Pirates Ace Paul Skenes Wins Tense Pitching Duel With Jaw-Dropping Masterpiece originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh . Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Pittsburgh Pirates scored only one run against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, giving Paul Skenes no margin for error.
Fortunately, he's used to that and didn't need it, turning in one of the best starts of his career at Chase Field. Brandon Lowe spotted him a run with a solo homer in the top of the first, and that was all Skenes would need. He dominated the Diamondbacks over eight scoreless innings, outdueling Michael Soroka and pitching the Pirates to a tense 1-0 victory.
The reigning NL Cy Young winner mowed down Arizona's lineup, retiring the first 14 batters he faced. He took a perfect game into the fifth inning before yielding back-to-back two-out singles to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Nolan Arenado (the only two hits he allowed), but got out of the jam by retiring Gabriel Moreno to end the frame.
After Opening Day, Paul Skenes owned a 67. 50 ERA. Since then, he’s lowered it all the way to 2.