Paul Skenes has once again been dominant for the Pittsburgh Pirates in his second MLB season, but you would never know that by looking at the star pitcher’s record.
Skenes had a no decision (his fifth in his last six starts) after pitching five innings in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. The right-hander allowed five hits, did not surrender a run and struck out 10.
Skenes has allowed just seven earned runs total in his last seven starts. He did not get the win in any of those games. In fact, the 23-year-old has just one victory in his last 13 starts despite having a 1.72 ERA across that stretch.
Paul Skenes has 1 win in his last 13 starts. With a 1.72 ERA. That seems made up.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) July 6, 2025
The Pirates, of course, have been one of the worst teams in baseball for years. They fell to 38-53 with Sunday’s loss and have not been to the playoffs since 2015.
Skenes is now 4-7 on the season despite his 1.94 ERA, which is the second-best mark in the majors. He has 125 strikeouts in 116 innings.
There have already been rumors about the Pirates trading Skenes, but he is under team control through the 2029 season. While Skenes has a long career ahead of him, Pittsburgh is completely wasting his dominance by not fielding a competitive roster around him.
Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA last season. He won NL Rookie of the Year and made the All-Star team despite not being with the Pirates for the full season.
