Paul Skeens’ Dominance on the Mound

Paul Skeens, a key player for the Pirates, certainly makes his presence felt when he steps up to pitch. On Tuesday, he was in exceptional form, striking out the first six batters he faced. However, what surprised many was light hitter Willi Castro’s decision to attempt a bunt against a blazing 97 mph fastball.

The crowd reacted with boos as Castro bunted, but Skeens remained poised, effortlessly throwing the ball underhand to first base for an easy out.

As Castro walked back to the dugout, Skeens was spotted grinning and saying, “Nice bunt.” This caught the attention of the cameras.

Later, Skeens remarked to reporters, “I don’t think I really said anything to him. Honestly, I thought it was kind of funny. I guess the reporters are good at lip-reading.” He added that he wouldn’t engage with those criticizing the play.

Recently, opposing batters have had a tough time facing Skeens. He dominated the game on Tuesday, pitching eight shutout innings and striking out ten while allowing just two baserunners, leading to a 3-1 victory.

Remarkably, he has put together a scoreless streak over his last 16 innings, tallying 17 strikeouts and permitting only four hits without any walks.

The Pirates have been one of the most unexpected surprises in baseball this season, although the competitiveness of other teams in the National League Central Division cannot be ignored. Currently, Don Kelly’s squad stands fourth in the division, with a record of 23 wins and 19 losses—trailing the first-place Cubs by four games.

As for Skeens, he’s leading MLB in WHIP at 0.64 and boasts an impressive ERA of 1.98, which is third best in the National League. Interestingly, this number could have been even lower if not for a rough outing against the Mets, where he allowed five runs in the first inning of the season opener. Since then, he has only given up six earned runs across eight starts.