Paul

Skenes

Skenes exited with a 4-3 lead after allowing two singles, striking out two and then giving up an RBI single in the fifth. Yohan Ramírez took over and retired Jake Meyers to end the inning. Of course, that left Skenes ineligible for the win in a game in which he averaged about eight pitches per out. Skenes struck out seven and wasn’t hit very hard; the two-run rally in the third started out with a bunt single and a walk before Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes delivered RBI singles. This makes four straight mediocre starts for Skenes, but his strikeout rate is holding up fine and he’s allowed only two homers since the beginning of March. Things should turn around soon, though perhaps not against the Dodgers next time out.

Skenes struck out a whopping 10 batters in the ballgame while walking three. He allowed a run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Seiya Suzuki, then the Cubs added a pair of unearned runs while chasing him in the sixth inning. Skenes generated 20 swings and misses on 103 pitches on the night — eight of them on his changeup — while registering a strong CSW of 32 percent. With the loss he falls to 6-5 on the season despite his outstanding 2.89 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 75/12 K/BB ratio across 65 1/3 innings. He’ll do battle against the Astros his next time out in Houston on Wednesday.

Skenes, who allowed one run through five, gave up four straight hits to begin the sixth. The third of those, a Jesús Sánchez RBI double, should have been a strikeout, but a checked swing that seemed to be in strike territory went uncalled, allowing the at-bat to continue. Skenes was pulled after the fourth hit, and Yohan Ramírez stranded two out of three despite coming on with none out. It’s the second straight start in which Skenes has allowed at least four runs, which is something that had never happened before. He’s given up at least four runs four times in 11 starts this year. It was five times in 55 career starts coming into the year. Still, there aren’t any big concerns here. Skenes’ velocity is down about one mph from last year and another sub-2.00 ERA probably isn’t on the way, but he still looks like a top-five starter. He’ll face the Cubs on Thursday.

On the plus side for fantasy managers, Skenes racked up seven strikeouts on the day while allowing only one base on balls. He kept the Phillies off the board for the first four innings, but they scratched out a pair to take the lead in the fifth inning and added three more while chasing Skenes in the sixth. He got 10 swings and misses on 92 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 25 percent. Now 6-3 on the season, he’ll bring a terrific 2.62 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and a 63/8 K/BB ratio (55 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Skenes gave up two hits, walked none and struck out 10. He improved to 6-2 with the win and lowered his ERA to 1.98. Skenes dominated the Rockies for eight innings with Colorado’s lone run coming off closer Gregory Soto in the ninth inning. He’s lined up to face the Phillies at home on Sunday.

Skenes struck out seven and walked none in an efficient 97-pitch outing. The two hits came back-to-back in the fifth, but they were both two-out singles and Gabriel Moreno lined out afterwards. Skenes is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA. He’s allowed four earned runs with a 45/5 K/BB in 40 1/3 innings since the Oneil Cruz-fueled debacle on Opening Day, and he’ll probably again lower his 2.36 ERA in a home start against the Rockies next week.

Skenes struck out nine and walked none, needing 102 pitches to get 15 outs. He gave up three runs in the top of the first, as both JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker took him deep. The reigning Cy Young winner had allowed one run or fewer in five straight entering Thursday. He’ll look to get back on track next time out in Arizona.

It felt like something special could’ve been brewing for Skenes here who held the Brewers hit-less through six innings and didn’t break a sweat doing it. Jake Bauers wound up lacing a single with two outs in the seventh and a collective exhale came from the home crowd. Still, Skenes was dominant. He alternated between high four-seamers and beautifully dotted sprinklers low all night and the left-handed heavy Milwaukee lineup had no answers. He now sports a 2.48 ERA, even after his blow-up on Opening Day where he failed to get out of the first inning. If Oneil Cruz had caught those fly balls, Skenes’ ERA would be under one right now as he’s absolutely on his way to another Cy Young caliber campaign. He’s scheduled to face the Cardinals next time out.

Skenes stranded a runner in the first inning, then escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the second. He struck out two in the third inning for his first clean frame, then tossed a perfect fourth, collecting five strikeouts before an extended rain delay cut his outing short. Still, the 23-year-old right-hander has given up one or fewer runs in each of his last four starts since his five-run Opening Day start. He’ll take a 3.27 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 23/7 K/BB ratio across 22 innings into a start against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday.

Finally, some run support. Skenes received a whopping 16 runs from Pittsburgh’s offense after serving up a solo homer to CJ Abrams in the opening frame and was able to cruise to his third win of the season. He appears to have made an adjustment to generate significantly more horizontal break on his sweeper than in previous outings this season and he also leaned more heavily on his changeup than before. He generated 15 swinging strikes and needed just 88 pitches (60 strikes) to complete six frames, lowering his full-season ERA from 5.25 to 4.00 in the process. He’ll close out a two-start week with a favorable home outing against the Rays on Saturday afternoon.