Paul Skenes Is Doing It Again, and the National League Better Start Paying Attention

The Pittsburgh Pirates' ace just flirted with back-to-back no-hitters, and this time he actually made it through eight innings. Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, struck out 10 and allowed only two hits over eight scoreless innings Tuesday night as Pittsburgh beat Colorado 3-1 at PNC Park. This is not a one-time thing either. This is a guy on an absolute tear right now, and the baseball world should be watching.

Skenes Is Putting Together a Season for the History Books

Here's what makes this run even more wild: Skenes has now delivered two consecutive starts with eight scoreless innings and just two hits allowed. He hasn't given up a run in four of his last five starts. His ERA sits at 1.98. And get this, he didn't walk a single batter for the fifth straight start. That's the kind of precision and dominance that separates elite pitchers from everyone else.

The only thing stopping Skenes from a no-hitter was a Mickey Moniak blooper that dropped just out of the reach of a diving Oneil Cruz in center field with 6 1/3 innings in the books. Everything else? Locked down. The Rockies' starter, Michael Lorenzen, couldn't keep pace. He gave up two runs on five hits across five innings and struck out five, taking the loss at 2-5.

Pirates Got Just Enough Run Support to Let Skenes Dominate

Nick Gonzales led the Pirates' offensive effort with two hits and an RBI. Spencer Horwitz added two hits of his own. Brandon Lowe and Bryan Reynolds each drove in a run, giving Skenes all the cushion he needed. That's the thing about elite pitching, though: you don't need much when your starter is dealing like this.

What's Next for the Ace

Skenes improved to 6-2 on the season. If he keeps this up, we're looking at an MVP-caliber year, not just a Cy Young repeat. The Pirates have themselves a legitimate ace leading the rotation, and every time he takes the mound, something special feels possible. That's rare air in baseball.

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