Paul Skenes loses command again just as Pirates had reason for hope

For one start, it looked like Paul Skenes had finally found his way back. Then Tuesday happened.

Fresh off six scoreless innings in San Diego, where his velocity ticked up, his command sharpened and he didn’t issue a walk, Skenes took another frustrating step backward in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 13-12 win over the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park.

Skenes allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks over 4.2 innings, throwing only 56 of 95 pitches for strikes. He generated six whiffs and needed 49 pitches just to get through the first two innings.

The good news is that the velocity remained intact. The more concerning development is that the problem increasingly appears to be where the baseball is going rather than how hard Skenes can throw it. That matters considerably more at this point.

Fresh off a promising outing in San Diego, Paul Skenes took a frustrating step backward vs Giants

Skenes has now walked at least three batters in four of his past six starts. Against San Francisco, he repeatedly fell into deep counts, struggled to finish hitters and lost his fastball — along with several of his secondary pitches — to the arm side.

The mistake that crystallized the entire outing occurred when Skenes left a 98 mph fastball over the heart of the plate to Rafael Devers, who predictably deposited it into the seats for a three-run homer.

The radar gun reading looked plenty encouraging, but the location rendered it meaningless.

Skenes has tinkered with his delivery and mechanics throughout a season that has featured stretches of diminished velocity, inconsistent command and performances that haven’t resembled his dominant first two major-league seasons. His outing in San Diego offered legitimate hope that those adjustments were finally producing results.

Instead, Tuesday reinforced how fragile that progress remains.

Skenes insisted he isn’t particularly concerned, and there were positives. He settled down after allowing all five runs in the second inning, his velocity held and he nearly completed five innings despite an enormous early pitch count. But he still didn't look like an ace.

Pittsburgh entered September desperately trying to keep its faint postseason hopes alive. A three-game winning streak has provided a pulse, and getting Skenes back to something resembling peak form could have been another reason to believe. That is why Tuesday was so discouraging.

The Pirates won this time. But won’t be able to count on scoring 13 runs every time their ace loses the strike zone.

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