The Pittsburgh Pirates have a 20-17 record. They sit five games back in the NL Central. This is after evening their series in Arizona. Over the last 24 hours, the club rode an elite pitching performance to a 1-0 shutout victory at Chase Field.
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Pittsburgh secured a 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks behind Paul Skenes’ masterful 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 7 K, 0 BB performance on 97 pitches. Brandon Lowe provided the game’s only run with a 435-foot solo home run in the first inning. Gregory Soto earned his second save by working around a ninth-inning walk. A pivotal defensive moment occurred in the second. A Pirates scoring threat was erased by a 3-2-5-6 double play. This happened due to a Henry Davis baserunning error.
Paul Skenes was the undisputed star. He retired the first 14 batters he faced. He allowed only two hits across eight dominant innings. His final stat line of 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, and 7 K lowered his season ERA to 2.36 and his WHIP to 0.71. Skenes needed just 82 pitches for the final seven innings. He punctuated his “masterpiece” by striking out the side in the eighth.
Looking Ahead
The Pirates conclude their three-game series tonight at 9:40 PM ET. Mitch Keller (3-1, 2.85 ERA) takes the hill for Pittsburgh against Arizona ace Zac Gallen (1-2, 4.45 ERA).
If Skenes continues to dominate like this, the Pirates are a legitimate threat to anyone in the National League. What do you think?
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