Paul Skenes’ promising Pirates start still comes with ‘eye-raising’ fact that’s troubling

The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to push their way into the Major League Baseball Playoffs this year. Pittsburgh needs a strong finish to the season from ace Paul Skenes, in order to do that. Skenes had a pretty good day on Sunday, but some concerns remain.

“Good news: Paul Skenes tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings today. Eye-raising news: Of his 87 pitches thrown, 43 were with two strikes in the count. He struck out two,” Pirates reporter Alex Stumpf posted to X, formerly Twitter.

The reporter also released a pitch chart image showing where Skenes was hitting with those pitches.

Good news: Paul Skenes tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings today.

Eyeraising news: Of his 87 pitches thrown, 43 were with two strikes in the count. He struck out two. Here’s the pitch chart for his two-strikes offerings: pic.twitter.com/k2xSh83Gmi

— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) September 6, 2026

Skenes has struggled in the last months of the season. The Pirates ace has seen a dip in his velocity, while his ERA has gone up. As a result, Pittsburgh has struggled this year to get on an extended win streak.

The Pirates enter Sunday’s game with the Los Angeles Angels holding a 70-73 record. Skenes finished his day allowing no runs and four hits to the Angels.

Pittsburgh enters Sunday’s contest with six wins in their last 10 games.

Pirates hope to reach the MLB Playoffs for first time since 2015

Pittsburgh spent a lot of money before the 2026 season to improve the team’s offense. The goal was to reach the playoffs this year, for the first time since 2015.

With just weeks left in the season, those hopes are dim. Pittsburgh has struggled with their pitching during the campaign. The bullpen was blowing several save opportunities before the MLB trade deadline. Pittsburgh essentially overhauled the entire bullpen before the August 3 deadline.

The Pirates though are still in play to get a bid to the postseason. Pittsburgh is currently fourth in the National League Central heading into Sunday. A strong finish to the campaign could see the Pirates finally get back to the playoffs.

The Pirates and Angels are playing at time of writing.

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