Overview
- The Pirates announced Saturday that Paul Skenes’ scheduled Sunday start was moved to Wednesday and that reliever Lake Bachar will start in his place.
- Manager Don Kelly and Skenes said the decision is not injury related and will put Skenes on seven days’ rest between outings.
- Skenes threw just 65 pitches in his most recent start and registered a career‑low single‑game fastball reading, with his season four‑seam average down to about 96.8 mph from 98+ in prior years.
- The ace’s results have slipped since mid‑May, producing a 3-9 record and roughly a 5.00 ERA over his last 16 starts while the Pirates are 3-13 in those games; his line for 2026 through 25 starts is 9-11 with a 3.88 ERA.
- What to watch next is Skenes’ velocity and command on Wednesday and how the extra rest affects the rotation and bullpen workload during a stretch when Pittsburgh’s playoff chances are dwindling.