Pirates' Paul Skenes reasserts himself in NL Rookie of the Year race

After hitting a bump in the road recently, Paul Skenes looked more like the National League's top Rookie of the Year candidate Thursday in the Pittsburgh Pirates' 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Skenes was electric against the Reds, throwing a brisk 87 pitches over six scoreless innings. He finished with nine strikeouts and scattered two hits with just one walk, dropping his ERA to 2.16, which would be the lowest in MLB if the Pirates ace qualified.

Improving to 8-2, Skenes posted his fourth start of six innings or more without allowing a run this season. Meanwhile, the outing helped him join a very short list.

Skenes is only the fifth pitcher since 1915 to allow 25 earned runs or fewer with at least 104 innings pitched over their first 17 career starts, per Stathead . Meanwhile, he's only the third to accomplish the feat in a single season, joining Steve Rogers (1973) and Gary Peters (1963).

Before Thursday's start, the 22-year-old was in the midst of perhaps the most prolonged struggles of his rookie campaign. Skenes had allowed two or more earned runs in each of his previous five starts, going 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA.

Skenes' recent skid allowed Arizona Diamondbacks' first-year All-Star Jackson Merrill to sneak into the lead for Rookie of the Year . However, a lights-out performance against the Reds might help propel him back to the top.

With the 2024 season dwindling, it seems to be a two-horse race between the two. Entering play Thursday, FanDuel Sports Book listed Skenes with the second-best odds (+100), followed by Merrill (-145), with the closest competition, Jackson Chourio (+5000) and Tyler Fitzgerald (+6000), trailing well behind.