Pirates wasting Paul Skenes' talent just reached historic new low vs. Astros

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes pitched eight innings against the Houston Astros on Tuesday at PNC Park. He gave up just three hits, struck out nine, walked one and allowed just one run.

In other words, Skenes did quite literally everything he could to give the Pirates a chance to win. And yet, by the end of the night, he had been credited with his sixth loss of the season.

Dennis Santana, who came in to pitch in the ninth inning in relief of Skenes, gave up a single and a home run while also recording a fielding error. He managed to get just one out before being replaced by Kyle Nicolas, who retired both batters he faced to send the game to the bottom of the ninth. At that point, however, the damage had already been done, and the Pirates' habitually lifeless offense failed to mount a comeback.

Pirates wasting Paul Skenes' talent just reached historic new low vs. Astros

Tuesday's loss to the Astros followed a script that has become all too familiar to Pirates fans this season. A superb starting pitching performance was wasted by a rough bullpen outing and a failure to generate offense.

For Skenes, Tuesday marked the sixth consecutive start in which he allowed one or fewer earned runs. His season ERA fell to a remarkable 2.05, and his career ERA fell to exactly 2.00 – a feat that had yet to be accomplished by a pitcher through 35 career starts in the modern era.

The frequency with which Skenes' dominant starts on the mound end in frustrating defeat is, frankly, criminal. Over his last five starts alone, he has a sparkling 1.04 ERA (four earned runs in 34 2/3 innings pitched). His record in those starts is 1-2, while the Pirates' record is 2-3.

As long as the Pirates remain hamstrung by inept management and risk-averse ownership, they will continue to be the laughingstock of baseball as they waste the best years of a generational pitching talent. It's maddening. It's unacceptable. Skenes deserves better, and so do Pirates fans.

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