Takeaways: Paul Skenes Can't Even Save Pirates

PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Pirates concluded their road trip on the east coast and showed that they simply don't have what it takes to contest with the best in baseball.

Pirates Not Anywhere Near the Top of the MLB

The Pirates faced both the New York Mets at Citi Field and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and both teams shared a similarity: big payrolls.

The Mets have the highest payroll in the MLB at $323,099,999, marked by their record signing of free agent outfielder Juan Soto for $765 million over 15 years. The Phillies aren't far behind at $284,210,820, the fourth highest in the MLB.

Pittsburgh has a payroll of $87,645,246, the fifth least in the MLB, and it showed on the field.

Both National League East Division Teams have star power and great depth throughout their rosters, which showed last season, as the Mets made the NLCS and the Phillies made the playoffs for the third straight season.

The Pirates haven't made the playoffs since 2015 and have just one season above .500 since then. There is a lack of winning that extends from previous team and continues to now, due to poor free agent signings, no identity and poor execution during offseasons, drafts, etc.

Philadelphia and New York will both contend for a World Series this season and currently sit 28-18 and 29-17 overall, respectively. (Fill in). They both have done what is necessary to win and have the players and the team culture to achieve that goal.

The Pirates have just 15 wins from 47 games in 2025 and have the third worst record in baseball. They sit 13.0 games behind the Chicago Cubs at the top of the NL Central Division and the San Francisco Giants in the third NL Wild Card spot.

It's only the middle of May, but the Pirates have lost this season and it's going to get much worse before it gets better.

Pirates Offense Continues Sputtering Along

The Pirates have fought harder and gone after games better under new manager Don Kelly than prior manager Derek Shelton, but hitting the ball successfully and for runs remains a massive obstacle every single game.

Pittsburgh batted .192, 38-for-197, plus 4-for-38 with runners in scoring position over the six games against the Mets and Phillies. They also struck out 53 times, averaging nearly nine strikeouts per game.

The Pirates had two close losses to the Mets, 4-3 on a walk-off on May 12 and 2-1 on May 13, where they were 1-for-9 and 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, respectively.

They went 1-for-10 in the series against the Phillies with runners in scoring position, which included the 5-2 loss on May 17, where they had no runners in scoring position, with only a Bryan Reynolds two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning as the sole offense in the game.

None of this is much of a surprise for a team that has been terrible all season long from the plate, ranking towards the bottom of most statistics.

The Pirates rank tied for the worst batting average in the MLB at .217, along with the Chicago White Sox and the Colorado Rockies, at .217 and OPS at .619, along with the White Six, and possess the worst slugging percentage at .322. Their .297 on-base percentage is also fifth worst.

Pittsburgh has also not scored more than four runs in a game since a 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium on April 23, a 23-game streak. That ties the 2022 Miami Marlins for the longest such streak in a season since at least 1980.

Pirates Waste Great Starting Pitching Outings

The Pirates offense doing so poorly runined some fantastic performances from the Pirates pitching staff.

Paul Skenes allowed just one run, plus six hits and three walks, while posting six strikeouts over six innings vs. the Mets on May 12 and then just one run, a walk and only three hits, while tying his season-high of nine strikeouts in eight innings against the Phillies on May 18, for his first complete game of his career.

Mitch Keller also excelled in his start vs. the Mets on May 13, where he allowed five hits, two walks and two earned runs and posted a season high eight strikeouts over seven innings.

All three of those games the Pirates have lost and it's a trend that the team has had this season, with lack of support for great outings from their starting pitching.

They've suffered defeat in seven of 10 games that Skenes has pitched in, despite only allowing 17 earned runs, and have lost seven of the nine games that Keller started. The Pirates have scored 24 runs for Keller and 32 runs for Skenes, averaging to 2.7 and 3.2 runs per start, respectively.

Pittsburgh has not supported their two best pitchers and for fans, it's understandbly a massive source of frustation for a season they expected improvement and growth.

Pirates Get Players Back From Injury, But Performances Lack

The Pirates got two important players back from injury in their series vs. the Phillies in first baseman Spencer Horwitz and center fielder Oneil Cruz

Horwitz missed all of Spring Training and the entire MLB season up until this past weekend with a right wrist injury. He did two rehab assignments at both Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianpolis prior to his return.

Cruz missed almost a week with lower back pain after an awkward slide attempt against the Atlanta Braves on May 10. He was day-to-day, but is now back in the starting lineup.

Horwitz went 1-for-6 with a strikeout, starting the past two games at first base, while Oneil Cruz went 0-for-9 and struckout eight times, including four in the shutout defeat to end the series.

The Pirates will need patience with both Horwitz and Cruz, who will look to regain form on the field and at the plate going forward.