Paul Skenes looked like himself for most of his outing against Miami , but one second-inning swing created a first he will not enjoy seeing on his career record.
The Pittsburgh Pirates ace took the loss in a 4-2 defeat to the Marlins, despite giving up just four hits over six innings while striking out 10. The issue was that two of those hits left the park in the same frame.
That is what made the start unusual. Skenes missed bats all day, but Miami punished the rare moments when he missed his spot.
Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images
According to ESPN Insights , Skenes gave up two home runs in the second inning, the third time in his career he has allowed multiple homers in a single frame.
The more notable moment came from Joe Mack. His 424-foot blast was the first home run Skenes has surrendered on a changeup since reaching the majors, which is why the pitch became the talking point.
It does not mean the changeup suddenly lost its edge. Mack caught a pitch that was not quite where Skenes wanted it and turned it into a milestone swing.
Heriberto Hernández also went deep in the second inning, giving Miami two solo shots before Skenes settled back into the rhythm we usually see from him.
The final box score tells the story. Skenes went six innings, struck out 10, walked one and allowed only two earned runs, but Max Meyer and the Marlins still came out on top.
Miami made its damage count. Skenes did not unravel, but those two swings in the second inning were enough to shape the game.
That fits into a wider frustration around his recent run. He fell to 6-6 and remains winless across six starts since May 12, even though performances like this are hardly poor.
Skenes reportedly felt good about the outing outside of two pitches, and that is the fairest read. The changeup homer was a first, but the rest of the performance still showed why he is so difficult to face.
For once, the "unhittable" pitch got punished. But it still took a near-perfect swing to do it.
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