Pirates' Paul Skenes Talks Leaving Start After Just 65 Pitches Amid Struggles, 'I Understand Why'

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is facing the first extended period of adversity in his career after a 2-0 defeat against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday gave him three losses in his last four starts.

After being pulled from the game despite throwing just 65 pitches in five innings, Skenes told reporters he didn't fight the move by Pirates manager Don Kelly because "I understand why" it happened.

"If I were the manager, I'd probably do it, too," he said. "Wish I could've gone more, but it kinda is what it is. ... He's the manager, and I don't ever argue with it. Like I said, I understand why."

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Tuesday was the best start for Skenes since June 19 in that he only allowed two runs (one earned) with four strikeouts and one walk in five innings, but some of the underlying issues over the past two months were more noticeable against the Marlins.

In particular, Skenes' fastball velocity is becoming a concern. The heater averaged 95.7 mph on Tuesday, his lowest in a game in his MLB career, and he only got four swinging strikes of the 65 total pitches he threw.

Baseball Savant tracking shows the last time Skenes hit 98 mph with his fastball was on July 7 against the Atlanta Braves.

After posting a 1.98 ERA through his first nine starts this season, Skenes has a 5.00 ERA in his last 16 outings. His advanced stats during this period look better than that with a 3.82 FIP and 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings (110 in 84.2 innings), which ranks second among NL starters behind only Jacob Misirowski (13.6).

The downside is opponents have 89 hits, including 10 homers, against Skenes since May 17. He gave up a total of 11 home runs in 187.2 innings during his Cy Young season in 2025.

Skenes previously addressed his decline in velocity largely by dismissing it, noting he is "healthy" and feels good physically.

The 65 pitches Skenes threw on Tuesday were his third-fewest in a game this season. The previous two times it happened were in the first month of the season, including on Opening Day when he recorded just two outs against the New York Mets.

Whatever the issues for Skenes are being compounded by a rough stretch for the Pirates that has put a huge dent in their playoff hopes. They have lost 14 of their last 19 games and are now six games out of the final wild card spot in the NL.