Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes is coming off another shutout performance in the team’s 4-0 win against the Colorado Rockies.
Skenes pitched seven scoreless innings against the Rockies, marking the 11th time this season he hasn’t allowed a run in a start. The Pirates are 9-1 when this happens and Skenes has picked up seven of his eight wins on the season when accomplishing this feat.
MLB.com writer Will Leitch thinks Skenes could win the Cy Young after an injury to Philadelphia Phillies
hopeful Zach Wheeler.
“Now that, in the wake of Zack Wheeler’s season-ending injury, Paul Skenes is almost certain to win the NL Cy Young, it should be asked: Is he having the best season by a Pirates pitcher ever? The answer is almost certainly yes: His 195 ERA+ entering Sunday would be the highest in a season for a qualified Pirates pitcher since earned runs became official (1913). John Candelaria’s 169 in 1977 is currently the top mark,” Leitch wrote. “(In 1882, someone named Denny Driscoll had a 1.21 ERA in 201 innings over 23 starts … and lost nine games. Different game in 1882.)”
Skenes only has eight wins on the season and there’s a chance the Pirates could shut him down at some point in September before the season ends. That would be the fewest amount of wins for a starting pitcher to win the Cy Young (apart from the COVID-shortened 2020 season) since New York Mets star Jacob deGrom back in 2018, when he won 10 games.
There are other candidates, like Christopher Sanchez of the Phillies and Chicago Cubs star Matthew Boyd, but it’s becoming clear that Skenes is the favorite.
Skenes will sit as the Pirates open up a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch for the opener is set for tonight at 7:45 p.m. ET.
