Skenes Dominates, But Pirates Can’t Match His Heat

Skenes Dominates, But Pirates Can’t Match His Heat

BATON ROUGE, La. – Former LSU ace Paul Skenes was built for the big stage. The 6-foot-6 right-hander with the flamethrower fastball has wasted no time carving up major league hitters since making his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But while Skenes continues to deal on the mound, the team around him appears to be stuck in neutral.

Through early June, Skenes owns a 1.88 ERA, one of the best marks in all of Major League Baseball, and leads the Pirates’ staff with 92 strikeouts in just 91 innings pitched. He’s routinely hitting triple digits on the radar gun and backing it up with a filthy splitter that’s become his signature weapon.

“He’s got that same bulldog mentality we saw at LSU,” said one National League scout. “The mound presence, the stuff — it’s all elite. The problem is, he’s stuck on a team that can’t score runs or close games.”

The numbers back it up. Outside of Skenes, Pittsburgh’s rotation has struggled mightily. Veteran Mitch Keller, the team’s so-called No. 2, has posted a 4.13 ERA, while the bullpen ranks in the bottom five of nearly every major statistical category. As of Sunday, the Pirates sit in the basement of the NL Central with one of the lowest run differentials in the league.

Meanwhile, Skenes’ personal win-loss record hardly reflects his dominance — the Pirates have failed to give him run support in over half of his starts.

It’s a story all too familiar to Pirates fans, who have watched young stars like Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow eventually blossom — elsewhere. Some around the league are already wondering how long Pittsburgh can hold on to Skenes.

“He’s not just good — he’s generational,” said a rival NL manager. “It’s criminal to waste an arm like that on a team still trying to figure out what direction it’s going.”

Skenes, who famously helped LSU to a College World Series title in 2023, hasn’t voiced any frustration publicly. In typical fashion, he remains focused on “getting better every start.” But those close to the situation say he’s keenly aware of the Pirates’ shortcomings — and won’t wait forever.

If Pittsburgh doesn’t turn the corner soon, the city of Baton Rouge might not be the only place where Skenes is remembered as a star who shined brightest when surrounded by champions.

And in the world of baseball, talent like this doesn’t come around often — or stay patient for long.