Paul Skenes isn't giving the Pirates what they need, and it is costing them

The Pittsburgh Pirates invented a new way to lose an important game on Friday, dropping a staggering 8-7 game to the Cincinnati Reds that extended their losing streak to four games. 

They are now 5-9 since the All-Star break.

They are 2-7 over their past nine games. 

They are starting to lose ground in an increasingly competitive National League wild-card race. 

When it comes to Friday's game, there are a lot of things you can point to. 

Third baseman Nick Gonzales and second baseman Brandon Lowe combined for an unfathomable error in the bottom of the eighth inning to plate the winning run. It continues what has been a season-long display of poor fundamental baseball by ... everybody.

The bullpen blew its 20th save of the season, continuing its own season-long run of incompetence. 

The team also lost first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn at the end of the game, adding to an injured list that already includes center fielder Oneil Cruz, first baseman Spencer Horwitz and shortstop Konnor Griffin.

But all of those pale in comparison to the biggest elephant in the room. 

Paul Skenes has not been good enough. 

And he was awful in Friday's start.

Paul Skenes continues disappointing season with another ugly start

Through Skenes' first two years in the league, he was not only the best starting pitcher in baseball, but he looked like he was on his way to being one of the best pitchers of his era. Maybe ever. 

He had a sub-2 ERA through his first two seasons and took home the league's rookie of the year in year one, and then won the Cy Young in year. Through his first nine starts this season, it was still under two. 

He might very well still get back on that track and become one of the league's best again. He is young enough, talented enough and done enough in the league already to show he is capable of it. 

But since an eight-inning gem against the Colorado Rockies on May 12, Skenes has not only been underwhelming and disappointing, he has been flat out bad. 

It took him 100 pitches to get through four innings on Friday, allowing five runs, walking four and raising his ERA to the season to a rather pedestrian 3.90.

Over his past 14 starts, his ERA is up to 5.87, while the Pirates are just 3-11 in those games.

For the season, they are only 9-14 in games he has started, and 46-42 when he does not start. 

It's stunning. 

It is not good enough. 

Even worse, of those 14 losses in Skenes' starts, six of them have come in games where the offense scored five runs or more. Five of them came in games where the offense scored six runs or more.

Some of that is on the bullpen. Some of it has been on the defense. Some of it has been on him. The latter point has especially been the case lately. 

It is also hard to really pinpoint what, exactly, the problem is, because there are a lot of them.

His control and command have not been anywhere near as good as they have been in the past. The other issue that is getting increasing attention is the fact that his velocity has plummeted. 

After regularly hitting 99 and 100 mph through his first two years, he is rarely reaching 98 now.