Pirates’ Don Kelly explains early Paul Skenes hook vs. Mariners amid fan freakout

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was dealing on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, recording a season-high 10 strikeouts over five shutout innings.

That shouldn't come as a surprise on the day that the flame-throwing right-hander was selected to his second MLB All-Star Game in as many seasons. What was surprising, however, was the fact that Skenes' day was over after just 78 pitches.

When asked why Skenes was given the early hook after five shutout innings – his third consecutive start in which he lasted five innings or fewer – Pirates manager Don Kelly explained that the team would begin cracking down on their ace's season workload.

“We have a plan, and to sit there and know that we want him on the mound, he wants to be on the mound, but also he’s in the top five in innings pitched in the big leagues,” Kelly said (via Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). “Like we’ve talked about before, just trying to find ways to manage that with him and for him. We want him for a full season, and make sure he’s in a good spot.”

Pirates managing Paul Skenes' workload as team fails to provide him with run support

Even with his shorter starts over the last three games, Skenes has still logged 116 innings this season. That ties him with Detroit Tigers left-hander and reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal for fourth-most in MLB. The key difference between Skenes and the rest of baseball's elite arms, however, is his win total.

Sunday marked Skenes’ eighth no-decision of the year and his fifth in his last six outings. Skenes has now gone seven straight starts without earning a win, with his last victory coming on May 28 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. During that stretch, he has allowed just seven earned runs over 40 2/3 innings for a 1.55 ERA.

The Pirates are wise to monitor their ace's workload more carefully after the halfway point of the season for the sake of his health and longevity, but Skenes is often the only thing that makes this team watchable. Sunday's game was a painful reminder of that – and of the fact that Skenes and his sub-2.00 ERA deserve far better than a 4-7 record.

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