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Pirates Pull Skenes After Eight Shutout Innings in 1-0 Win

The decision signals a cautious plan to protect the Cy Young winner for the long season.

Overview

  • Skenes fired eight scoreless innings with two hits allowed in a 1-0 victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, with Brandon Lowe providing the lone run on a first-inning homer.
  • Manager Don Kelly said he saw a slight dip in velocity and command late and removed Skenes at 97 pitches, then handed the ninth to left-hander Gregory Soto.
  • Skenes said he did not know his pitch count when he exited and expressed full confidence that Soto would close out the win.
  • The right-hander retired the first 15 batters he faced, produced 13 swings-and-misses, and struck out seven while mixing a four-seam fastball, changeup, sinker, and sweeper.
  • The outing adds to a rare early-career profile that now includes a 2.01 ERA through 63 starts and 22 scoreless starts, marks unmatched that far into a career in more than a century.