Paul Skenes gets another shot to reset the tone Friday in Cincinnati after what he called a “weird” outing against the Cubs - a game that ended his three-start winning streak and handed him his first loss of the second half.
The Pirates right-hander enters his 23rd start of the season at 9-9, with Pittsburgh still in the NL Wild Card mix and the Trade Deadline only days away. His overall ERA is nearly 1.70 points higher than it was across his first two MLB seasons, adding a little more weight to every turn through the rotation.
Against Chicago last time out, Skenes was sharp early and then ran into trouble late. He struck out a season-high 11, but also allowed five earned runs on six hits in taking his ninth loss.
Through four innings, he looked in control. The fifth changed the feel of the night, as he gave up three runs, then worked into more traffic in the sixth before being lifted at 105 pitches.
Isaac Mattson came on and allowed both inherited runners to score, and the bullpen was tagged for six more runs over the final 3 2/3 innings.
The matchup with Cincinnati has been a favorable one for Skenes. Friday will be his third start of the year against the Reds, and he already owns a win and a no-decision in the first two meetings, including the June 26 game just over a month ago.
In seven career starts against Cincinnati, he’s 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA. Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz has gone 4-for-15 against him.
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