Pirates' Manager Reveals Why He Removed Paul Skenes Early

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes dominated vs. the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on Sept. 10, but surprisingly didn't go anywhere near as long as he usually does in a start.

Skenes threw five scoreless innings vs. the Orioles, allowing just two hits and posting eight strikeouts over 64 pitches, before Pirates manager Don Kelly brought in right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski in the bottom of the sixth inning.

He had thrown less than five innings twice this season, pitching just four innings vs. the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field two times on June 25 and Aug. 12, but giving up four earned runs in each start in losses.

This did mark the least amount of pitches he threw in a start this season, with his previous low of 78 coming three times, vs. the Brewers on June 25, the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on July 11 and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 6, throwing five innings in the latter two starts.

Kelly spoke after the game about taking Skenes out early and said it had to do with managing how much he's pitching and just keeping him healthy the rest of the season.

"Yeah. Like we’ve talked about with all the guys, in start-to-start with Paul and with all the pitchers, just trying to make sure that we’re managing their workload, " Kelly said. "Make sure that they’re going all the way through the end of the season healthy and ready to finish a full season and be ready for next year." 

Skenes had thrown more than 90 pitches over his past eight starts dating back to the end of July, with his low during that stretch at 94 pitches. He has thrown more than 100 pitches in eight starts and more than 90 pitches in 15 starts, as he's not just pitched well, but effectively, keeping him in longer in games.