Pirates’ Paul Skenes taken out after only 65 pitches in defeat to Marlins

August 12, 2026

Paul Skeens’ Surprising Performance Against the Marlins

This season, Paul Skeens hasn’t added a Cy Young Award to his collection, but his most recent start certainly raised some eyebrows. On Tuesday, he pitched just five innings and only threw 65 pitches in a 2-0 defeat against the Marlins.

During the game against Miami, Skeens recorded four strikeouts and conceded just two runs. Interestingly, he also hit a solo home run in the third inning and added an RBI in the fifth.

Despite being known for his powerful fastball—often exceeding 99 mph last season—he didn’t top 96.5 mph at Lawn Depot Park this time around. In fact, his final fastball registered at 95 mph on pitch number 57.

In August, Skeens’ numbers have shown some improvement in terms of runs allowed. After giving up five runs in each of his last two starts in July, he has allowed five runs total in his initial two outings this month. However, his overall stats for the season (3.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) are not what fans or analysts have come to expect from him. Each of his August starts has also been capped at five innings.

“If I were the manager, I would definitely do that,” Skeens commented, suggesting he understood the decision to pull him. “He explained everything to me, and it all made sense. I wish I could have gone further, but it is what it is.”

Manager Don Kelly clarified that Skeens’ early exit was not injury-related. “None of our players are injured this time of year, but our players in August are not 100 percent,” he noted. “His appearance had nothing to do with an injury. I thought it gave us the best chance to win.”

Skeens has had three starts this season where he didn’t exceed 65 pitches, which is a noticeable shift compared to only two such instances in his first two major league seasons. His fastball velocity has also dropped, averaging 96.9 mph this season compared to 98.2 mph last year.

Kelly mentioned before the game that part of Skeens’ current struggles could be attributed to opposing hitters becoming more familiar with him. “The league is adjusting again,” Kelly remarked. “Paul is going to have to fight to get back into the league and find a way to adjust and adapt.”