PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Paul Skenes reached his 20th start of the year and for the sixth time, the 22-year-old rookie had at least nine strikeouts in a game. He also broke the Pirates rookie record for strikeouts in a season, as the Bucs beat Miami 3-1 Monday.
A reason for celebration!?
“That’s pretty cool,” Skenes said almost deadpanned. “I didn’t know that. Just got to keep going. Hopefully someone breaks it soon.”
The righty went six innings allowing six hits, a run, a walk and the nine whiffs. He didn’t know he had nine strikeouts either, teammate Bailey Falter asked him and he had to count them off the strikeout tally board.
Skenes ERA for the season is now 2.10 and the WHIP is 0.99.
Two of the six hits were left in the infield with the only extra base hit being the run that scored after a two-out RBI single in the fourth. Skenes allowed only two other runners to second base and none to third. He threw 98 pitches, 66 for strikes.
“I thought he was really good,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “He was aggressive. Not a lot of hard contact, I think they had six hits, but a lot of ground balls. I think three of them stayed in the infield. Overall, he was very impressive. I thought the other day in Chicago he could've attacked more. I think today he attacked with all of his pitches and did a really good job.”
Since allowing four runs to the Dodgers on August 10, he’s made five starts spanning 28 innings with five earned runs allowed and 28 strikeouts.
“I’m super happy with it,” Skenes said. “Last one just worked too hard and made it tougher on myself than it should have been. Happy with the execution today, happy with my stuff. The sequences I was really happy with today. Just have to keep building off of it.”
Overall this season, Skenes is 10-2 with 20 starts, 2.10 ERA, 120 innings, 34 walks, 151 strikeouts (broke Pirates rookie record of 142 set by Cy Blanton in 1935) and a 0.99 WHIP. The righty is second in MLB in strikeouts by rookies at 151, four shy of the Cubs Shota Imanaga, who has pitched in 33.1 more innings than Skenes. The ERA and WHIP are best among MLB rookie starting pitchers.
"It's cool,” Skenes said specifically of double-digit wins. “I think that's the goal every year. I'm old fashioned. Wins matters. Wins and losses matter, I think. That's kind of watered down now, but it definitely means a lot."
Cruz missle
Oneil Cruz hit his first home run in a month, a 113.7 mile an hour, 444-foot shot to centerfield in the first inning. The 25-year-old has career-highs with 19 homers and 70 RBI. Cruz has hits in four straight games.
“I don’t think he ever went home run hunting,” Shelton said. “He hit like .380 in August, he just didn’t get a lot elevated. I think about going back to the Cubs series in Wrigley, I think he hit four, line drives or ground balls at 115 (mph).”
“The most important part is that he didn’t go hunting for it. He stayed within his swing. He stayed within his approach because he’s going to hit them. The one he hit today was two strikes and he just shortened up and almost hit the batters’ eye.”
“As long as he continues to hit the ball hard, I think we are in a pretty good spot.”
Passing Junior
With a ground-rule double in the third inning, Andrew McCutchen passed Ken Griffey, Junior on the MLB all-time hit list and adding an eighth inning single now has 2,145 hits. Among those in his sights-Yankees greats Yogi Berra (2,150) and Don Mattingly (2,153). The only active players with more hits—Freddie Freeman (LAD) and Jose Altuve (HOU).
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