Paul Skenes had strong message to hitters before second start

Paul Skenes had a strong message to hitters before his second major league start vs. the Cubs.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] made his second major league start on Friday afternoon. His stuff looked fine in his first start, but he reached a new level on Friday. He came out firing and struck out the first six batters he faced. Skenes struck out 11 over six innings of no-hit baseball.

With the pitch count getting up there, Skenes finishing the game was unrealistic, so Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton made the decision to pull Skenes.

Before the game, Skenes was asked about hitters having information on his arsenal with Skenes making his major league debut. Skenes didn’t seem too concerned.

“Go ahead and adjust. Good luck,” Skenes said.

Comments like that can backfire, especially when young players say them, but Skenes backed it up with his performance against the Cubs.

Now through 10 innings at the major league level, Skenes has a 2.70 ERA along with 18 strikeouts. So far, he’s delivered on the hype he arrived with.

Skenes’ debut last week was among the most anticipated pitching debuts since Stephen Strasburg’s. That’s a lot of pressure for a rookie, but Skenes is used to the spotlight after leading LSU to a College World Series title last year.

If the Pirates stick to their normal rotation, Skenes’ next start will come against the Giants on Thursday.

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