Paul Skenes’ Marlins rematch is a chance to finally stop alarming slide

When Paul Skenes faced the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 14, the Pittsburgh Pirates lost. But Skenes himself wasn’t really the problem.

He struck out 10, walked one and allowed just two earned runs over six innings in a 4-2 defeat. Both runs came on solo homers, and it was the kind of outing Pittsburgh would gladly take from its ace every fifth day.

Almost everything since then has gone in the wrong direction.

Skenes enters Tuesday’s series opener against Miami with a 3-6 record and a 5.85 ERA since that June 14 start. Since June 1, he is 3-5 with a 5.04 ERA, while the Pirates have lost nine of his 12 starts in that span.

For the reigning National League Cy Young winner, this is no longer a brief rough patch. It has become an alarming stretch that has lasted more than two months, and the Pirates badly need Tuesday night to represent the beginning of the end of it if they have even the remotest of chances at chasing down a playoff spot.

That’s especially true because Pittsburgh can no longer count on Skenes Day being an automatic advantage.

Paul Skenes’ Marlins rematch represents perfect chance to stop skid, get Pirates back on track

For much of Skenes' young career, simply seeing his name listed as the probable starter felt like reason enough to believe the Pirates had the pitching edge. Lately, that assumption has disappeared. Command problems, diminished velocity, elevated pitch counts and inconsistent execution have made even his better outings feel like work.

Meanwhile, Miami will counter with Eury Perez, who has quietly been pitching much more like the dominant young starter Skenes is supposed to be. Perez is 5-9 with a 3.61 ERA. He struggled in his most recent outing, allowing four earned runs in five innings against the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 5, but before that he posted five consecutive quality starts in July with a 1.69 ERA across 32 innings.

That makes Tuesday an intriguing contrast between two of baseball’s most talented young right-handers trending in very different directions. The Pirates don’t need Skenes to prove anything about his long-term future. But they do need him to pitch like their ace again.

Miami was one of the last teams to see something resembling vintage Skenes before this prolonged skid began. Two months later, facing the Marlins again would be a fitting place for him to finally stop it.

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