Paul Skenes Just Threw 8 Shutout Innings and the Rockies Have to Face Him Tonight

Paul Skenes is coming off the performance of his young season, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are ready to ride that momentum straight into Tuesday night against Colorado. After pitching eight shutout innings and flirting with a perfect game through the first 4 2/3 frames, Skenes helped blank the Diamondbacks 1-0 last Wednesday in Arizona. Now the Rockies roll into this three-game series facing a guy who is 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA and clearly locked in.

The Performance That Changed Everything

What made Skenes' outing in Arizona so special wasn't just the scoreless line. He struck out seven, allowed only two hits, and kept the ball in the zone perfectly. The guy retired the first 14 batters before allowing an infield single to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and another to Nolan Arenado, then shut the door by retiring the final 10 straight. Skenes worked a lot of ground balls and fly balls, inducing 12 fly balls and five ground balls to keep his defense in the game.

"It always goes back to execution," Skenes said after the gem. "It's not easy, but it's simple. If you execute your pitches, it's going to go the way you want. These games are fun to pitch in, for sure." The dude is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts against the Rockies. This is his fourth time pitching at least eight innings in his career.

Both Teams Looking for Answers at the Plate

The Pirates bounced back from a rough outing against St. Louis on April 30 with that masterclass in Arizona. Pittsburgh lost a frustrating 12-inning game Sunday at San Francisco and has dropped two of three after winning five of their previous six. Oneil Cruz is trying to break out of a brutal slump. He hit his 10th home run of the season on Sunday, but before that, he was hitting .194 with 39 strikeouts over 22 games.

Colorado counters with Michael Lorenzen (2-4, 6.92 ERA) and is trying to avoid a three-game losing streak after dropping the final two games this past weekend in Philadelphia. The Rockies' shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is stuck in a nightmare start. He's hitting .197 with a .522 OPS, one home run, and 10 RBIs. Tovar chases too many breaking balls out of the zone from righties, but he did record his first multi-hit game since April 24 in that loss to the Phillies on Sunday.

"I feel more comfortable taking the balls out of the zone, and we're working on that," Tovar said. "I'd love to prove I can do that, but I feel better." Lorenzen has been solid against Pittsburgh historically (7-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 44 career appearances), but he got roughed up last Wednesday at home against the Mets, allowing seven runs on 11 hits in a 10-5 loss.

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