Skenes goes 9 with little run support & 1st MLB loss

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The crowd on its feet as Paul Skenes ran out for the ninth inning Tuesday night at PNC Park. It was his first time pitching that deep in his 12-game MLB career and while Skenes gave up only two runs, the Bucs scored one for the rookie’s first major league loss.

Given the lack of run support recently it’s surprising it took this long to be saddled with a first defeat. Beside the game where the Pirates busted out for 14 runs against the Mets, 10 of those scored after Skenes left the game, he has had 10 total runs of support in his last six starts.

On an 0-2 pitch leading off the ninth, Michael Siani, who’s brother is a Pirates prospect, hit one the opposite way down the left field line. Bryan Reynolds was quick to pick it up and the call at second base was Siani was out. St. Louis challenged and the call was reversed as Siani indeed just beat Reynolds throw. A ground out sent Siani to third and then Alex Burleson hit one into right field for the game winner.

The other run against Skenes was the first pitch of the fifth inning, Nolan Arenado hit it just over the glove of Reynolds, 385 feet for a home run to left-center breaking Skenes 14-inning scoreless streak.

"He threw the ball really well," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. "He threw two bad pitches in the whole game -- the bad breaking ball to Arenado and, I mean the pitch to Siani wasn't even a bad pitch it was a good piece of hitting, and then he threw an 0-2 pitch to Burleson and ended up right down the middle."

Sadly for Skenes and the Pirates, there were more standing ovations than there were runs for the National League All-Star starting pitcher.

The Pirates got their only run after an eighth inning, one-out looping fly ball landed between the shortstop and centerfielder, reading it would be a tough play all the way, Oneil Cruz hustled to second base seemingly in five strides. Nick Gonzales would hit the first pitch he saw, a change-up, through the infield and scored Cruz to tie the game.

The Pirates had seven hits (five singles), left seven on base, left the bases loaded twice (both with two outs) and hit into a pair of double plays, in the seventh and eighth innings.

"It's frustrating," Shelton said. "We have to capitalize. When we have the bases loaded, we have to have better swings. We have to capitalize in those situations and we didn't. That ultimately ended up being the deciding factor in the game.

"There's less room for error, for sure," Skenes said of the impact of little run support. "You look at that game against the Dodgers where they scored seven in the first two, I think. It's easier to pitch there. The goal there is more to give us length because the margin for error is a lot greater. Just got to execute pitches a little finer."

The teams have split the series with each team winning a one-run decision.

3 ^rd pick on board

The highest draft pick signed so far happened on Tuesday as left-handed pitcher Josh Hartle from Wake Forest agreed to his first pro contract. The third-round pick from Wake Forest was the number 70 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, after going 6-3 with a 5.79 ERA with the Demon Deacons in 2024. The previous season got him on the radar, the 6’5”, lefty was a First-Team All-American after going 11-2 with a 2.81 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 18 appearances as a sophomore.

Hartle is the sixth player in the top 10 rounds to sign.

Perez on edge?

LHP Martin Perez starts for the Pirates Wednesday at 12:35p on 100.1 FM and AM 1020 KDKA with Paul Alexander hosting the North Shore Tavern Leadoff Show at 11:40a. Bucs manager Derek Shelton stopped short of saying Perez is fighting to stay in the rotation, saying he just needs better execution of balls on the plate.

"Martin needs to pitch with his changeup, with his breaking ball,” Shelton said. “He needs to pitch to the thirds of the plate, and he's just been in the middle way too much."