Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes lasted only 65 pitches against the Marlins on Tuesday and an acute drop in fastball velocity was evident on a home run pulled to left field by Esteury Ruiz in the third inning.
Ruiz crushed a chest-high fastball that was over the middle of the plate to give Miami a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
Skenes (9-11) left after five innings and manager Don Kelly informed the ace he wouldn't be headed back to the mound in the sixth.
"If I were the manager I'd probably
do it too," Skenes said. "He walked me through everything. It all made sense."
Skenes threw 45 strikes but never touched 97 MPH according to the pitch-tracker Codify, which charted Miami's four hits at an average exit velocity of 101.
Skenes pointed to single innings with higher pitch counts for his personal struggles but said he doesn't know "exactly why we're not playing up to the standard" of a contender right now.
"It being August doesn't help," Skenes said. "I think we've just got to enjoy it. Find the joy in the game and have fun. If we get back to doing that we'll be fine."
"Paul's gonna have to fight to make the adjustment back to the league and find a way to adjust himself," manager Don Kelly said of Skenes prior to the game.
"Yes, the velo is down. I think command has been a bigger thing, at least for me. That could come from multiple things. From trying too hard or trying to be too perfect. Maybe trying to get the velo back. He knows its down a mile per hour. You can't just go and get it. How does Paul make the adjustment back?"
Skenes struck out four and walked one but the stadium radar gun never flashed 98 MPH or higher for the sixth consecutive start. By contrast, in his first six MLB starts, Skenes touched 98 MPH or higher on the gun 222 times.
Griffin Conine nearly lifted a Skenes splitter over the left field fence for a two-run homer but Bryan Reynolds reached over the top of the wall by a glove length to pull it back for the third out in the bottom of the fifth. It was Skenes' final pitch of the night.
"It was a good catch. Super thankful for that," Skenes said.
--Field Level Media
