Pirates' Skenes endures uncharacteristic rough outing in loss

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) walks to the dugout during the fourth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. David Dermer-Imagn Images

Pirates ace Paul Skenes endures uncharacteristic rough outing in loss

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 12:11 AM ET

No pitcher can be perfect all of the time, and that was evident on Tuesday night as Paul Skenes suffered through his worst performance of the season in the Pirates' 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.

After two solid outings on the road, granted winning just one of those games due to a lack of run support, Skenes gave up five earned runs in six innings in his first home start of the season.

As usual, Skenes still overpowered batters occasionally — he recorded seven strikeouts with only one walk. But he allowed six hits, one of which was a two-run triple by Cardinals left fielder Victor Scott II.

VS2 with the RBI triple! pic.twitter.com/AMjTxKaoCu
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) April 8, 2025

Skenes' tough day at the office moved his record to 1-1 and handed the Pirates their eighth loss of the young season, keeping Pittsburgh in last place in the National League Central.

Before Tuesday, Skenes was coming off picking up his first win of the year in Tampa Bay. Skenes pitched seven scoreless inning, shutting out the Rays and allowing only three base runners all game.

Skenes left Tampa with a 1.46 ERA, a mark that has now ballooned to 3.44. In addition to his uncharacteristic earned run average, Skenes does have 20 strikeouts and a 0.82 WHIP to his credit.

The expectations for Skenes in 2025 are sky high due to his historic rookie campaign. In 2024, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft earned the start in the All-Star Game and was named the National League Rookie of the Year.

Skenes went 11-3 in 23 starts while striking out 170 batters, walking only 32 and posting a 1.96 ERA.

While Skenes will likely bounce back in his next start, the struggling Pirates are relying on their sophomore phenom to carry them to victories when he is on the mound.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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