Paul Skenes Says He 'Probably Needed' Early Exit vs. Orioles to Manage Workload

Paul Skenes didn't sound too upset with Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly for removing him after five scoreless innings in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Skenes explained this was a situation where he "probably needed" to have a limited workload because his "main goal" since arriving in the big leagues is to make every start.

"The main goal that I've had coming into the past two years is making every start," said Skenes. "There are opportunities to give and take throughout the season, and tonight was kind of one of those. I probably needed it, to be honest."

There was certainly nothing in Skenes' performance against the Orioles to suggest he was wearing down. He needed just 64 pitches to complete five innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight.

Skenes' fifth strikeout of the game gave him 200 for the season. Mitch Keller in 2023 is the only other Pirates pitcher who has reached that threshold 2017.

The five scoreless innings also lowered Skenes' season ERA to an MLB-best 1.92. His 64 pitches were his fewest in a game since his final start of 2024 when he only went two innings against the New York Yankees.

Skenes' 178 innings is 17.2 more than he had all of last season between MLB and the minor leagues. He's one of only six pitchers who has made at least 30 starts in 2025.

Assuming the Pirates keep him on a regular schedule over the final two weeks, Skenes would make three more starts this season. He would almost certainly reach the 190-inning mark in that scenario.

However, Kelly did say on Wednesday the Pirates would evaluate all of their starting pitchers to determine how they want to use them and make sure they aren't overtaxing their arms.

"Like we've talked about with all the guys," Kelly said. "Just trying to make sure that we're managing their workload, make sure that they're going all the way through the end of the season healthy and ready to finish a full season and be ready for next year."

These final games could be crucial in deciding the NL Cy Young winner. Skenes is certainly the favorite for the award, but Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies is right on his heels by FanGraphs' wins above replacement (5.8 to 5.5).

No matter what happens down the final stretch, Skenes has been masterful for a Pirates team that has unfortunately not taken advantage of his performance. They clinched their seventh consecutive losing season with Wednesday's loss.