Paul Skenes’s fast pitching is a cause for concern

Yesterday, Paul Skenes took the mound against the Cincinnati Reds, but his outing was short-lived. The tall right-hander, who is a shadow of his former self in 2026, pitched only four innings in his team's 8-7 loss.

While he wasn't held responsible for the loss, he didn't help his team's cause, allowing five earned runs on seven hits, including home runs to JJ Bleday and Sal Stewart.

In 2026, Paul Skenes is not as dominant as he was early in his major league career. The velocity of his pitches is often cited as the reason for the Pirates' No. 30's struggles. At 24, it's too early to hit the panic button, but there is still cause for concern.

Since the start of the current season, the Pirates' ace has been pitching with less velocity than in previous years. In 2026, over 23 starts, only 95 of his pitches have reached 98 miles per hour. By comparison, he had reached that mark after just three starts in 2024 and five in 2025. That's a huge difference, as they say.

Over his previous two seasons, Skenes dominated, and his fastball was devastating—as was his entire pitching arsenal, for that matter. In 2024, his rookie season, he threw 689 pitches at 98 miles per hour or faster, while last year, 863 of his pitches reached or exceeded that speed. Looking at these statistics, we can see a clear decline compared to previous seasons.

Skenes' 9-9 record mirrors his team's season. The Pirates are one game below .500, but they can still hope to make the playoffs, as they are just two and a half games away from qualifying as the best second-place team.

With stronger starts from here on out, Paul Skenes could help his team succeed and lead them back to the playoffs—a first since 2015. Fortunately for them, the Pirates can count on another high-quality starter in Braxton Ashcraft. He has a 10-4 record so far this season and has been a pleasant surprise. In his rookie season, Ashcraft won four games in just eight starts.

With Jacob Misiorowski's success this season and his ability to fire off hard fastballs, Paul Skenes' past achievements in this area have been somewhat overshadowed. You can bet that Skenes isn't done yet and that he'll find a way to rediscover his ability to terrorize opposing batters.

This season, Skenes has a stronger support system around him, and it's up to him to take advantage of it by proving his immense value. Unlike the Tigers' Tarik Skubal, his name doesn't come up every day in trade rumors, which should greatly help his focus.

Let's hope Skenes's arm holds up and that his meteoric rise can continue.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.