Injuries are exposing a painful Pirates problem even Paul Skenes can't fix

The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent most of the 2026 season proving they are a better baseball team than the one fans watched during the first two seasons of Paul Skenes' MLB career.

They've had a winning record for the majority of the first half. They have the hardest-throwing rotation in baseball. Their offense has shown legitimate improvement. They have spent most of the season hanging around the National League wild card race instead of being buried in the standings before summer officially arrives.

But as their recent stretch of play has shown, there is still a significant gap between being better and being a legitimate playoff team. And no player illustrates that reality more than Skenes himself.

The Pirates have lost each of Skenes' last six starts. On the surface, that seems impossible. Even during what can fairly be described as the first extended rough patch of his Major League career, Skenes has still been remarkably effective. After two rocky starts against the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, he has rebounded with a 2.45 ERA over his past four outings while continuing to miss bats at an elite level. Yet the Pirates keep losing.

Some of that falls on Skenes himself. His pitch counts have become an issue lately, forcing him out of games earlier than expected. Deep counts, occasional command lapses and elevated strikeout totals have pushed him over 100 pitches by the sixth inning in four consecutive starts. But if the Pirates were receiving the type of support a contender should provide its ace, none of those issues would matter nearly as much.

Even with a n improved offense this season, the uncomfortable truth is that injuries to Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz have exposed a major roster flaw that was already lurking beneath the surface: the Pirates do not have enough margin for error.

When Cruz and Griffin were healthy, they brought elite speed, game-changing power and constant pressure on opposing defenses. Without them, Pittsburgh's lineup suddenly looks a lot thinner.

Jake Mangum has been excellent. Endy Rodriguez has provided a spark. Brandon Lowe has been one of the best offensive additions the Pirates have made in years. But there is no replacing what Cruz and Griffin bring to the table.

Pittsburgh has scored only 19 total runs in Skenes' last six starts. Nine of those came in one game against the Houston Astros (which they still lost). That's not a Paul Skenes problem; it's a roster construction problem.

Pirates losing 6 straight Paul Skenes starts shows they aren't built to contend

The injuries have also magnified another weakness the Pirates never fully addressed: bullpen depth.

During Skenes' last six starts, Pirates relievers have posted a 10.81 ERA while allowing 22 earned runs in only 18 innings. They have blown leads, surrendered ties and transformed close games into lopsided losses.

The Pirates entered this season believing they had built enough offensive depth to withstand injuries. To their credit, they improved the lineup significantly over the winter. But losing Cruz and Griffin has revealed that their depth still has limits. Championship-caliber teams survive injuries because they have enough talent to absorb them, and the Pirates are discovering that they're not there yet.

That's why the current stretch feels so frustrating. Pittsburgh finally has a genuine ace in Skenes. They finally have a roster capable of competing for meaningful games in June and July. Yet the same issues that have haunted this franchise for years — lack of depth, bullpen instability and an inability to overcome injuries to star players — continue to surface.

Skenes can cover up a lot of flaws. He can dominate lineups, stop losing streaks and keep the Pirates competitive against anybody. What he can't do is replace Cruz and Griffin in the lineup while simultaneously fixing a bullpen that keeps giving games away.

Until the Pirates get healthier — or find a way to reinforce those weaknesses — they will remain exactly where they are today: a better team than they've been in years, but not quite good enough to become the National League threat they want to be.

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