Paul Skenes

Fantasy News

• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Records only two outs during opener

  Rotowire Mar 26, 2026

  Skenes (0-1) took the loss Thursday against the Mets, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning. It was a nightmare opener for the 23-year-old ace, who struggled heavily with command and was chased before the end of the first inning for the first time in his young career. The rough frame started off with a quick walk to Francisco Lindor and was propelled by a bases-clearing triple from Brett Baty that gave New York a lead it never relinquished. While the result is alarming on the surface, it's likely just a blip given Skenes' track record, as the right-hander recorded a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 216 strikeouts, winning the NL Cy Young unanimously in 2025. Skenes will look to return to his normal dominance in his next scheduled outing.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Tapped for Opening Day

  Rotowire Mar 19, 2026

  Skenes will start Opening Day against the Mets on March 26. It wasn't hard to see this decision coming, as Skenes took home the National League Cy Young Award last season after posting a 1.97 ERA and 0.95 WHIP alongside a 216:42 K:BB over 187.2 innings. The 23-year-old ace struggled to collect wins last season -- a problem that could continue into 2026 -- but he should still be viewed as one of the top fantasy pitchers in virtually all formats.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Unanimously wins NL Cy Young Award

  Rotowire Nov 12, 2025

  Skenes won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Skenes received all 30 first-place votes after finishing the year with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP alongside a 216:42 K:BB across 187.2 innings. He joins Vern Law and Doug Drabek on the list of Pirates to take home the award after the latter two did so in 1960 and 1990, respectively.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Blanks Cincy to end year

  Rotowire Sep 25, 2025

  Skenes came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Reds, allowing four hits over six scoreless innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter. The young ace made his closing statement on a strong NL Cy Young Award case, racking up 18 swinging strikes among his 85 pitches (57 total strikes), and Skenes left the mound in line for his 11th win of the season before Dennis Santana blew the save in the ninth. Skenes leads the Senior Circuit in ERA (1.97) and WHIP (0.95) and is tied for the lead with Logan Webb and Jesus Luzardo in strikeouts at 216, although Webb lines up for one more outing this weekend.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Stumbles against Cubbies

  Rotowire Sep 17, 2025

  Skenes (10-10) took the loss Tuesday, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings as the Pirates were downed 4-1 by the Cubs. He struck out six. The young right-hander hurt his Cy Young case with his shortest outing of the season, one that got off to an ominous start when Michael Busch led off the game with a solo homer. Despite the stumble, Skenes still leads the NL in strikeouts (209) and ERA (2.03) and sits third in innings with 181.2, and his 0.96 WHIP is second only to the Padres' Nick Pivetta (0.95). Skenes lines up to make one more start before the end of the season, on the road in Cincinnati next week.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Crosses 200-strikeout plateau

  Rotowire Sep 11, 2025

  Skenes came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 2-1 extra-inning loss to the Orioles, allowing only two hits over five scoreless innings. He struck out eight without walking a batter. The young ace was lifted after just 64 pitches (43 strikes), but that still gave Skenes plenty of time to rack up his 200th strikeout of the season -- becoming the eighth pitcher in Pirates history to accomplish the feat. Through 178 innings in his first full season in the majors, he's posted an MLB-leading 1.92 ERA, while his 0.92 WHIP is second to Detroit's Tarik Skubal and his 203 Ks are third behind Boston's Garrett Crochet (228) and Skubal (222). Skenes will look to keep burnishing his NL Cy Young Award resume in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Cubs.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Shuts down Dodgers in 10th win

  Rotowire Sep 4, 2025

  Skenes (10-9) earned the win Thursday against the Dodgers, allowing two hits and one walk in six shutout innings. He struck out eight. Skenes was at his best against a scary Dodgers lineup, tying a season low in hits allowed during his fifth scoreless start since the All-Star break. The All-Star right-hander continues to be one of the top pitchers in baseball, having now conceded two runs or fewer in 24 of his 29 appearances in 2025. Skenes is well on his way to notching his first career National League Cy Young Award, posting a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 195:39 K:BB across 173 innings. On tap for Skenes next week is a matchup with the last-place Orioles at Camden Yards.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Collects win vs. BoSox

  Rotowire Aug 29, 2025

  Skenes (9-9) earned the win against the Red Sox on Friday, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings. The seven hits allowed tied a season high, but Skenes was able to limit the damage to two runs, with the one earned coming on a Roman Anthony solo shot in fifth inning. Skenes was in danger of taking his 10th loss of the season, but the Pirates scored three runs in the sixth to put the ace in line for the win. Skenes has yielded two earned runs or less in nine of his last 11 starts since July 1, and over that span he's posted a 1.92 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 61 innings. He leads all qualified starters this season with a 2.05 ERA, and his 187 strikeouts and 0.95 WHIP rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Skenes is lined up to face the Dodgers at home next week, when he'll look for his 10th win of the year.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Chased early Tuesday

  Rotowire Aug 12, 2025

  Skenes (7-9) took the loss Tuesday against the Brewers, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four in four innings. Skenes began by allowing a leadoff home run to Sal Frelick and was taken yard a second time in the fourth by Brice Turang. Skenes required 93 pitches to complete four frames, marking only the second time this season he's failed to complete five innings, with both instances coming against Milwaukee. Despite giving up four runs in two of his last three starts, Skenes still sits pretty atop baseball with a 2.13 ERA and will look to bounce back next week at home against the Blue Jays.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Tosses six scoreless in win

  Rotowire Aug 7, 2025

  Skenes (7-8) earned the win Thursday against the Reds, allowing seven hits and striking out eight across six scoreless innings. Coming off a rocky outing in which he gave up four runs over five frames, Skenes bounced back to his typical dominance, logging his third consecutive start with at least eight strikeouts. He gave up a hit in all but one inning Thursday but worked around the traffic to keep Cincinnati off the board, throwing 97 pitches (69 strikes). The 23-year-old phenom continues to lead MLB, among qualified starters, with a 1.94 ERA, along with a 0.93 WHIP and an elite 162:34 K:BB over 144 innings. Despite the occasional minor hiccup, Skenes continues to overwhelm hitters and will look to keep rolling in his next scheduled outing in Milwaukee, against whom he surrendered four runs over a season-low four innings June 25.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Punches out eight in no-decision

  Rotowire Aug 3, 2025

  Skenes did not factor into the decision in Saturday's game against Colorado, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out eight across five innings. It looked like it was going to be another dominant outing for Skenes, who kept the Rockies off the board through the first five frames. He was brought back out for the sixth, but his shutout bid came to an end when he yielded a three-run homer to Jordan Beck and was tagged for another run after being pulled for Braxton Ashcraft. Skenes ended the contest with 18 whiffs on 94 pitches (58 strikes), and he has recorded at least six strikeouts in five consecutive starts. Even with the late collapse, he still leads the majors with a 2.02 ERA, and he also sports top-10 marks among qualified starters with a 0.92 WHIP (third) and 154 strikeouts (seventh) across 138 innings. Skenes is slated to make his next start against the Reds at home next week.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Fires six scoreless in win

  Rotowire Jul 21, 2025

  Skenes (5-8) earned the win against the Tigers on Monday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out six over six scoreless innings. Despite reports that his innings could be managed down the stretch, Skenes needed just 86 pitches to log his first quality start since June 19 and first win since May 28. The All-Star starter has been dominant in July, allowing just two earned runs with a stellar 27:2 K:BB over four outings. He'll carry a 1.91 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 137:31 K:BB across 127 innings into a home matchup with the Diamondbacks this weekend.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Could have more shortened outings

  Rotowire Jul 17, 2025

  The Pirates are not expected to skip any of Skenes' starts in the second half but will likely have him throw a few more "low-volume outings" as a means to manage his workload, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The club is also expected to give Skenes extra rest in between starts a few times in the second half, when possible. Skenes threw 160.1 innings in 2024, and Hiles believes the Pirates' goal is to get the righty into the 190s in 2025, with 200 innings being the cap. It's relatively mild as far as workload limitations go, but it does dampen Skenes' outlook slightly. The right-hander began to see his workload curtailed a bit late in the first half, as he threw fewer than 80 pitches in three of his last four starts and fewer than 90 pitches in the other outing. Prior to that, Skenes had averaged 98.7 pitches per start in his first 16 outings of the season.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Fans 10 in no-decision

  Rotowire Jul 6, 2025

  Skenes pitched five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and no walks in a no-decision Sunday at Seattle. He struck out 10. Despite a short 78-pitch outing, the Pittsburgh ace managed to notch his first double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Skenes completely dominated the Mariners lineup to mark his fifth walk-free start of the season while allowing just one extra-base hit -- a Julio Rodriguez double in the third. Skenes now sports a stellar 1.94 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 125:30 K:BB across 116 frames. The 23-year-old was named to his second consecutive All-Star team Sunday and is currently scheduled to make his last appearance before the break at Minnesota next weekend.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Runs up pitch count in no-decision

  Rotowire Jul 2, 2025

  Skenes didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Cardinals, allowing five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five. The 23-year-old phenom found himself locked in an unlikely pitchers' duel with Andre Pallante, but Skenes bowed out early after needing 88 pitches (59 strikes) to record his 15 outs. He's failed to last more than five innings in three of his last four starts but has remained effective despite the inefficiency, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 23:10 K:BB through 20 innings over that stretch. Skenes will look for his first win since May 28 in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Loses duel against Misiorowski

  Rotowire Jun 25, 2025

  Skenes (4-7) took the loss Wednesday, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks over four innings as the Pirates were downed 4-2 by the Brewers. He struck out four. Matched up for the first time against Milwaukee phenom Jacob Misiorowski, Skenes was the first young ace to flinch, putting the first three batters on base in the second inning en route to a four-run frame for the Brewers. While Skenes didn't take any further damage, he was lifted after 78 pitches (50 strikes) with the Bucs having once again failed to provide him with any offensive support -- they didn't get on the board until the seventh inning. It's the first time since May 1 that the 23-year-old right-hander has been tagged for more than two runs, and Skenes will take a 2.12 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 110:29 K:BB through 106 innings into his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Cardinals.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Blanks Cubs across five frames

  Rotowire Jun 13, 2025

  Skenes did not factor into Friday's decision against the Cubs, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out five across five scoreless innings. Friday was just the third time in 15 starts this season that Skenes failed to make it to the sixth inning. He still managed to keep the Cubs off the board, thanks in large part to an assist from the Pirates' fielders in the fifth inning to throw Ian Happ out at home. Skenes has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last seven starts, and his 1.78 ERA and 0.85 WHIP (across 96 innings) are both third best in the National League among qualified starters. He's in line to start against the Tigers on the road next week.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Handed tough-luck loss

  Rotowire Jun 4, 2025

  Skenes (4-6) allowed a run on three hits and a walk over eight innings Tuesday, striking out eight and taking a loss against Houston. It was another terrific outing for Skenes that was dampened by the Pirates' lack of offense. He rolled through six shutout frames before serving up a solo homer to Christian Walker in the seventh inning. It was the first home run allowed by Skenes since May 1 and just his fifth of the year through 83.1 frames. He tossed 68 of 99 pitches for strikes and tied a season best with 21 whiffs. Skenes fell to 1-4 over his last seven appearances despite posting a 1.77 ERA during that span. He'll carry an impressive 2.05 ERA and 85:19 K:BB into his next matchup, which is expected to be at home against the Phillies.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Stellar in loss

  Rotowire May 18, 2025

  Skenes (3-5) allowed one run on three hits and a walk over eight innings Sunday, striking out nine and taking a loss against the Phillies. Skenes was in elite form Sunday and completed eight innings for the second time in his MLB career. He didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and gave up just three singles in the outing. Skenes tossed 71 of 102 pitches for strikes and generated a career-high 22 whiffs, including seven with his fastball that averaged 98.2 mph. Since coughing up five runs against the Cardinals on April 8, he's produced a 2.03 ERA with a 42:13 K:BB over his last seven outings. Skenes has produced a quality start in three of his five losses this season. He'll carry a 2.44 ERA into his next matchup, which is lined up to be at home against the Brewers.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Gives up one run in no-decision

  Rotowire May 12, 2025

  Skenes did not factor into the decision against the Mets on Monday, allowing one run on six hits and three walks while striking out six across six innings. Skenes was able to pitch himself out of trouble for most of the night, with his lone blemish coming in the fourth inning on a Jeff McNeil RBI double. Skenes generated nine whiffs and 16 first-pitch strikes on 92 pitches and managed to log his sixth quality start of the season. Across 54.2 innings this season, the 22-year-old ace has a 2.63 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, which rank seventh and fifth, respectively, in the National League among qualified starters. Skenes is slated to face the Phillies on the road this weekend.

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