Pirates Raise Hairs With Concerning Paul Skenes Announcement

The Pittsburgh Pirates managed just one win in the first two games of their series against the Boston Red Sox, falling 4-0 on Saturday night and setting up a deciding contest on Sunday at PNC Park.

What had been expected to feature one of baseball’s brightest young arms instead took a different turn after the latest development involving ace Paul Skenes.

Manager Don Kelly informed reporters after the loss that Skenes would not take the mound for the series finale. The decision shifts his next start to Wednesday, when the Pirates host the Detroit Tigers. Kelly made clear the move is not tied to any injury.

Instead, the club simply wants to give the 24-year-old additional rest following a concerning outing earlier in the week.

In his most recent appearance against the Miami Marlins, Skenes lasted only five innings and 65 pitches. His fastball velocity never climbed above 97 mph and sat well below the numbers that defined his first two major league seasons.

He allowed two runs, only one of them earned, yet the Pirates pulled him early. Skenes later told reporters he would have made the same call himself if he were managing, acknowledging that while he wished he could have continued, the decision made sense in the moment.

That short outing came amid a season that has been solid by most standards yet noticeably less dominant than the ones that earned Skenes the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards in successive years.

Through 25 starts he sits at 9-11 with a 3.88 ERA, having thrown 134.2 innings and struck out 166 batters. Those numbers would represent strong production for many pitchers, but they mark a step back from the sub-2.00 ERA seasons that established him as one of the game’s premier talents.

He has not recorded a scoreless outing since mid-May, and both his command and velocity have drawn increased attention as the second half has unfolded.

Skenes expressed support for the latest adjustment. He had thrown his scheduled bullpen session and fully expected to start Sunday before the conversation with Kelly.

Ultimately he accepted the decision, noting that extra recovery time rarely hurts a pitcher and that he would continue to back his manager’s judgment. Reliever Lake Bachar is scheduled to open the Sunday game in what will become a bullpen effort for Pittsburgh.

The extra rest places Skenes on roughly seven or eight days between starts. For a young arm still building toward a long career, the Pirates appear determined to prioritize long-term health and effectiveness over short-term series outcomes.

Whether the additional downtime helps restore the sharp stuff that made Skenes nearly unhittable in 2024 and 2025 remains to be seen when he faces the Tigers on Wednesday. For now, the club is treating the move as a measured precaution rather than a crisis.