Paul Skenes is turning an ugly Opening Day into a distant memory for Pirates

The box score won’t do it justice. Not on a gray, rain-soaked afternoon at PNC Park. Not on a day meant to celebrate him with a Cy Young bobblehead in his likeness.

But make no mistake — Saturday was another step forward for Paul Skenes.

Limited to just four innings and 64 pitches because of the weather, Skenes still controlled the game in a way that’s becoming increasingly familiar. Three hits. No walks. Five strikeouts. Efficient. Composed. In command.

And if that sounds routine, that’s kind of the point. Because just a few weeks ago, there was nothing routine about Skenes’ season debut in New York.

That version of Skenes — the one who walked off the mound with an ERA of 67.50 before recording a third out — feels like a different pitcher entirely. Since then, he has quietly, methodically reasserted himself as one of the most dominant arms in the National League.

Over his last four starts, Skenes has allowed just three runs across 21 1/3 innings. He’s walked five. He’s struck out 22. And perhaps most impressively, he’s dragged that bloated ERA all the way down to 3.27 — a number that now places him inside the top 20 among National League pitchers.

Paul Skenes is starting to look like himself again at the perfect time

Saturday offered a snapshot of that evolution. Even when things got uncomfortable — like the second-inning bases-loaded jam created by singles from Jake Fraley and Richie Palacios and a catcher’s interference call — Skenes didn’t unravel. He responded like an ace.

A runner’s interference call helped shift momentum, but Skenes finished the job. He struck out Taylor Walls. He induced a groundout from Chandler Simpson. And just like that, the threat was gone. In fact, it sparked a stretch of nine consecutive batters retired — the kind of dominance that has defined his bounce-back run.

“It was just frustrating that it took long but came back and had a couple of good innings after that,” Skenes said after the game. “Yeah, wasn’t worried about the weather.”

That calm, matter-of-fact tone reflects where he is now. There’s no panic. No overcorrection. Just execution.

“A short outing,” he added. “But I felt like the execution was pretty good.”

That’s the real takeaway. The rain shortened his day. The circumstances weren’t ideal. But Paul Skenes didn’t need perfect conditions to show how far he’s come. He already has.

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