Pirates Ace Paul Skenes on Historic Roll but Downplays Momentum
Reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes joined elite company with consecutive eight-inning masterpieces, yet the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander maintains a disciplined, pitch-by-pitch mentality.
PITTSBURGH – The old baseball expression claims the only momentum in baseball is the next day’s starting pitcher. If the next day’s starting pitcher is Paul Skenes, then the Pittsburgh Pirates have a lot of momentum. Even by his lofty standards, the right-hander and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has been brilliant in his last two starts.
Historically brilliant. Skenes dominated the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night in the Pirates’ 3-1 victory at PNC Park in the opener of a three-game series. Skenes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and wound up allowing two hits in eight scoreless innings while striking out 10 and walking none.
That came after an outing last Wednesday in Phoenix when Skenes also pitched two-hit ball over eight scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Skenes had seven strikeouts and no walks while taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Skenes is just the fourth major-league pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to work at least eight scoreless innings while allowing two or fewer hits and zero walks in consecutive starts.
He joins a list that includes Cy Young (Boston Red Sox, 1905), Billy Pierce (Chicago White Sox, 1958), and Mat Latos (San Diego Padres, 2010). Skenes’ performances have made Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly harken back to his playing days with the Detroit Tigers in 2011. That year, Tigers ace Justin Verlander was the American League’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young winner.