Paul Skenes Nearly Perfect Again, and the Pirates Are Starting to Look Scary

Paul Skenes is doing something we haven't seen much of lately. The Pittsburgh Pirates' ace took a no-hitter into the seventh inning for the second straight start on Tuesday night, striking out 10 and allowing just two hits over eight scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory over Colorado at PNC Park.

This is the Cy Young winner we drafted to be the ace. Skenes (6-2) held the Rockies hitless through 6 1/3 innings until Mickey Moniak looped one that fell just beyond the reach of Oneil Cruz diving in center field. Two straight starts of eight scoreless innings with only two hits allowed. He's given up zero runs in four of his last five outings. His ERA is down to 1.98. He didn't walk a single batter for the fifth consecutive start.

That's not just good. That's dominant pitcher, Cy Young-caliber stuff showing up night after night.

The Pirates Finally Gave Him Enough Support

Colorado's Michael Lorenzen (2-5) couldn't match the brilliance. He gave up two runs on five hits with two walks over five innings. Pittsburgh's Nick Gonzales collected two hits and an RBI, while Spencer Horwitz also went 2-for-4. Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds each drove in a run, giving Skenes the minimal run support he needed. When your pitcher is throwing like this, you don't need much.

Around the Rest of the League

Tampa Bay improved to 5-0 against Toronto this season with a 7-6 extra-inning win on Tuesday. Jonathan Aranda's sacrifice fly scored automatic runner Cedric Mullins to break a sixth-inning tie, and Taylor Walls had the key single to right against Braydon Fisher (2-1). Ian Seymour (2-0) threw a perfect ninth for the Rays after Tampa Bay nearly blew a five-run lead.

The Braves are cruising with a major-league-best 29-13 record after beating Chicago 5-2. Mike Yastrzemski homered and drove in three runs, including a go-ahead blast in the sixth inning. Austin Riley also went deep, and Dominic Smith went 4-for-4. Didier Fuentes (2-0) pitched three hitless innings in relief as Atlanta combined for a one-hitter.

Minnesota swept Miami 3-0 with Bailey Ober throwing a complete-game shutout. Ober (4-2) struck out seven, walked none, and threw 64 of 89 pitches for strikes. It's his first complete-game shutout in 124 starts. The Twins have won three straight after dropping 16 of 21.

Cleveland beat Los Angeles 3-2 to extend its dominance over the Angels at home, while Washington hammered Cincinnati 10-4 behind six home runs. Daylen Lile and Luis Garcia Jr. each homered twice in the same game, the first time a Nationals pair has done it since Brian Dozier and Juan Soto on August 18, 2019.

New York snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Baltimore 6-2 behind Paul Goldschmidt's homer and Trent Grisham's three-run blast in the third inning. Will Warren (5-1) took a shutout into the sixth.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.