Paul Skenes Threw a Shutout Masterclass and the Pirates Are Already Hunting Series Win No. 5

The Pittsburgh Pirates are rolling right now, and honestly, it's fun to watch from afar. They're chasing their fifth win in six games when they square up with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon in the final game of a three-game set in Phoenix. After splitting the first two, the Pirates are hungry to take the series.

Let's talk about what happened Wednesday night, because it was special. Paul Skenes absolutely silenced the Diamondbacks with eight innings of two-hit shutout baseball. Pittsburgh won 1-0, and Skenes was fired up about it after the game. "We're playing good baseball right now," he said. "Being able to win was great, and it gives us a chance to win the series (Thursday)." The Pirates are three games above .500 nearly a quarter of the way through the season, and performances like this are exactly why.

Brandon Lowe Is Carrying This Offense

That sole run came from Brandon Lowe, who absolutely demolished the fourth pitch of the game from Michael Soroka over the 25-foot wall in center field to start the first inning. The blast traveled 435 feet and was his ninth of the season. Skenes was full of praise for his teammate. "He's been great," Skenes said. "Doing that in the first inning, it makes it easier to pitch. ... He's been great all season." Bryan Reynolds added two more hits on Wednesday, including a single in the third inning that was his 1,000th career hit. The Pirates also notched 26 runs over a two-game span before this shutout performance.

Arizona's Bats Are Completely Lost

The Diamondbacks have lost five of their last six games and got blanked for the second time in four contests. Arizona managed just two hits against Skenes and reliever Gregory Soto, both of them two-out singles in the fifth inning. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo wasn't making excuses. "Throw the approach out the window," Lovullo said. "It's very tough to hit against somebody who pitched like he did."

Arizona's struggles run deeper than just this game. Second baseman Ketel Marte, a three-time All-Star, went hitless in four at-bats on Wednesday and is just 2-for-22 over his last six games. This season, Marte is hitting only .215 with five homers and 13 RBIs in 34 games. Lovullo believes some bad luck is playing a role, but the numbers don't lie.

Thursday brings Zac Gallen for Arizona, who is winless in his last five starts after getting roughed up for six runs in 3 2/3 innings against Chicago on Friday. Pittsburgh counters with Mitch Keller, who is 3-1 with a stellar 2.85 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP through seven starts. Keller just dominated in a 9-1 win over Cincinnati, giving up one run and three hits over seven innings. The Pirates smell blood. Time to close this out.

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