Paul Skenes
Breakdown
Performance
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April 19, 2026
Start shortened by rain Saturday
Skenes didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Rays, allowing three hits and no walks with five strikeouts across four shutout innings.
Analysis
Skenes had a 4-0 lead through four innings and threw just 64 pitches before rain delayed the game two hours and 27 minutes, and Pittsburgh's ace obviously didn't come back out to pitch following the lengthy delay. Skenes has yet to throw 90 pitches in any of his five starts to open the 2026 season but owns a 3-1 record with a 3.27 ERA and 23:7 K:BB across 22 innings. Skenes should be well rested ahead of his next start against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
April 14, 2026
Dominates against Washington
Skenes (3-1) earned the win Monday against the Nationals, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out six over six innings.
Analysis
After beginning the outing with back-to-back punchouts, the 23-year-old surrendered a solo homer to CJ Abrams in the first inning, but was nearly untouchable from that point forward. Skenes retired 16 of the next 17 batters and leaned heavily on his changeup, throwing a career-high 32 of them among his 88 pitches Monday. After a disastrous Opening Day outing in which he failed to escape the first, Skenes has responded emphatically, stringing together three consecutive starts with just one run allowed in each while winning all three. The right-hander looks to have rebounded back to the Cy Young-caliber form fantasy managers have come to expect, lowering his ERA to 4.00 while posting a 0.94 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB across 18 innings.