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Paul Skenes Sends Clear Message After Pirates’ Massive Change

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated May 10, 2025 8:20 AM ET

Friday night’s 3-2 victory against the Atlanta Braves featured a new sight for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

No, we’re not talking about the Pirates winning a game.

Pittsburgh moved to 1-0 in the Don Kelly era, over 24 hours after the team fired manager Derek Shelton following a dismal 12-26 start. Although the timing appeared to catch some social media users off guard, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year clearly didn’t feel the same way.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked,” Skenes told reporters Friday afternoon. “At the end of the day, we’re 12-26.”

“Someone’s got to be held accountable,” Skenes continued, “and unfortunately, right now, it’s him. That’s just kind of how it goes, but I don’t know that it fixes the root of the issue, which is we need to play better.”

At least for one night, the Pirates did play better. However, one win doesn’t change the reality that Pittsburgh averages a league-worst 3.10 runs per game, and their .218 batting average ranks fourth-worst in the majors.

Conversely, the league average is 4.35 runs per game and a .243 team average.

Shelton can’t blame his dismissal on Skenes, who has positioned himself for a second straight All-Star nod. Skenes entered the weekend with 1.2 bWAR and a 47-12 K-BB ratio over 48.2 innings in a league-leading eight starts.

Skenes has unsurprisingly carried a mediocre Pirates pitching staff, though their numbers are better than one might imagine. While Pittsburgh’s 4.25 ERA is below the league average (4.04), the Pirates still rank higher than the Athletics and Arizona Diamondbacks, both of whom have winning records.

Kelly’s promotion likely won’t elevate the Pirates to playoff contenders just yet. We’ll see if Friday’s win is a sign of things to come, though, and the Pirates can avoid their third 100-loss campaign since 2021.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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