Pirates give Paul Skenes extra rest; he'll now pitch in Tigers series
Paul Skenes was pulled after just 65 pitches in his last start, as he's dealt with a significant drop in velocity from 2025. He'll face the Tigers on Wednesday.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have adjusted Paul Skenes' next start, pushing it back to Wednesday, the final game of their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park. Pirates manager Don Kelly made the announcement on Saturday night, citing Skenes' recent struggles and diminished velocity as reasons for the change. Skenes, who has a 9-11 record and a 3.88 ERA this season, explained that the additional rest should aid his recovery.
He acknowledged the decision was ultimately Don Kelly's, but expressed no disagreement with it. Skenes' season has seen a decline, with his ERA increasing from 1.98 after a start on May 12 to 5.00 in 16 starts since. He now averages 96.8 mph on his four-seam fastball, down from 98.2 in 2025. Despite his recent struggles, Skenes has a 2-0 record against the Tigers, with a 2.00 ERA in their previous three meetings.
The Tigers-Pirates series begins on Monday night at PNC Park, with reliever Lake Bachar likely to pitch in Skenes' place.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
