Ex-NFL Star Raises Question Regarding Paul Skenes’ Slump in Form

Paul Skenes gave up 5 runs on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds which raised his ERA to 6.25 in 6 starts across July.

Ex-NFL Star Raises Question Regarding Paul Skenes’ Slump in Form

Paul Skenes (Image via AP)

Paul Skenes had another rough outing on the mound on Friday. The Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher gave up 5 runs in just 4 innings and allowed 7 hits. An ex-NFL star later raised a question regarding the slump in form of the right-handed pitcher.

With 3 straight losses, the Pirates had fallen to a 55-55 record. So when Skenes took to the mound against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Great American Ball Park, there were some who were hoping for him to provide a solid outing.

However, he was unable to provide them with that. The Reds’ offense put up 5 runs against the struggling pitcher and ended up winning 8-7. While Skenes did not get credited with the loss, this was another day to forget for him.

He rounded off the month of July with a high 6.25 ERA in 6 starts. His season ERA thus increased to 3.90 and left him with a 9-9 record in 23 starts.

Skenes’ current form has raised concerns among some fans. Former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant raised a question regarding this. In a post on X, he curiously asked what was going on with Skenes at the moment.

Curious question..What do you guys think the issue is with Paul Skenes?

Dez Bryant on X

One problem for Skenes is his velocity. As per Codify Baseball, in his last 6 starts, there has only been 1 game where he has thrown a pitch more than 98 mph.

For the season, Skenes has thrown just 95 pitches that have been over 98 mph. Last year, when he won the NL Cy Young Award, he had 863 such pitches.

In 2025, the Pirates would lose a few games despite some top performances from Skenes due to the lack of run support. On Friday, he did get some runs but was still unable to help his side win the game.

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Pirates post-game host slams Paul Skenes following 8-7 loss against Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates suffered a 4th successive defeat on Friday as the Cincinnati Reds took them down 8-7. Following this defeat, a Pirates post-game host slammed Paul Skenes for his performance in this defeat.

Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes (Image via X/@UnderdogMLB)

While discussing this on The Fan Postgame Show on 93.7 The Fan, analyst Dan Zangrilli took shots at Skenes. The host claimed that the 24-year-old looked out of shape.

The ace didn’t ace. Far more questions than there are answers. And again, for any of this to work, he has to. And he looks like an out-of-shape, lumbering yeti, sucking wind on a hot day.

Dan Zangrilli said regarding Paul Skenes

Meanwhile, the 3-time All-Star admitted that he was a bit “sloppy” in this game.

It took pretty much an inning to find my delivery, which happens. Usually it doesn’t look that bad in the first inning … Just pretty sloppy all around.

Paul Skenes said as per Sportnet Pittsburgh

Skenes’ next start will be against the Milwaukee Brewers during their 4-game showdown. With this loss, the Pirates fell 1 game below .500 and are 2.5 games behind the final NL Wild Card spot.

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