Of all the positive traits Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has demonstrated since his 2024 debut, one stands out above the rest.
He is excellent at being his own stopper.
Skenes almost never allows one bad start to become two or three in a row.
First of all, let’s define what a “bad start” means by Skenes’ standards. It’s one where he strikes out nine guys and walks none.
That was the case against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 30. That’s when he yielded five runs (three earned) and seven hits in five innings en route to his second loss of the season.
Since then, Skenes has tossed eight innings of shutout baseball in each of his last two starts against Arizona and Colorado. He has totaled 17 strikeouts and no walks in those outings. Tuesday’s performance against the Rockies at PNC Park resulted in a 3-1 Pirates victory that improved Skenes’ record to 6-2.
He has given up just four total hits over those 16 innings.
Paul Skenes has faced 6 batters today:
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— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) May 12, 2026
“The most amazing thing about Paul is you can’t tell a difference after a tough start and after a great start,” manager Don Kelly said after defeating the Rockies. “He shows up the same way every single day. (Tuesday) was a great start. (Wednesday) he will be back the exact same way, getting ready for Sunday against the Phillies. I think it’s what drives him to be great.”
Skenes’ ability to rebound from a rough turn in the rotation has been uncanny. After he was lifted in the first inning of the 2026 opener in New York against the Mets, last year’s Cy Young winner went 4-0 over his next five starts with a 0.95 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29:5.
“I had a joke in college when I would give up a couple of runs, ‘I gotta scrap everything. Raise your arm slot. Throw your changeup more,’” Skenes laughed after the win. “You’ve just got to get back to what you do well. Nothing changes. Your routine should be the same. Good outing. Bad outing. Just do your thing.”
This trait is nothing new in 2026. Skenes has never allowed three earned runs or more in consecutive starts.
“He trusts his craft. He trusts his work,” Pirates outfielder Jake Mangum said Tuesday. “I’d say the big thing for him is he just knows what he has to do to be Paul Skenes. And we just kind of watch him do it.”
To Kelly’s point, it’s not just about Skenes’ ability to avoid overcorrection after a night when things go awry. It’s the awareness he has to stay in his lane when things go well.
For instance, if Skenes has a great outing because his splinkler is on point, or if his changeup is in a groove, he doesn’t automatically go to the well too often with that particular pitch the next time out.
“Every five days, brand new thing,” Skenes said. “Why does one start build off another? It’s because you’re executing well. There are certainly times in the season where you’re executing pitches better than others, but in terms of mentality and how you’re going into each start, that’s not the way to do it. Every start is new, and you can get humbled real quick.”
Or you can humble an entire sport. For the most part, over his first 64 starts, that’s what Skenes has done to Major League Baseball.