The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a better-than-expected start to the 2026 season.
While much of that can be attributed to the surprising offense led by Brandon Lowe, Paul Skenes has once again been a revelation.
Outside of a poor Opening Day that saw him not make it out of the first inning, Skenes has been brilliant.
In his seven starts since, he has given up more than one run just once.
Skenes continued his brilliance Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 1-0 victory.
He threw eight shutout innings with just two hits allowed and seven punchouts.
However, despite dominating, there was controversy over manager Don Kelly not putting Skenes back out for the ninth inning.
Kelly gave his reasoning for pulling Skenes after the game to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Why Did the Pittsburgh Pirates Pull Skenes?
Skenes, owner of a career 2.01 ERA through his first 63 games, was vying for the first complete-game shutout of his career.
At 97 pitches, after striking out the side in the eighth inning, Skenes was surprisingly pulled. Closer Gregory Soto would record the save.
We now know why Kelly refused to put Skenes back out for the ninth.
According to Beazley, Kelly said that he noticed a drop in Skenes’ velocity and command issues in the eighth. This led to the decision to pull Skenes.
Despite Skenes cruising through the game, mowing down the Arizona hitters, it was probably the right decision.
Skenes is obviously the Pirates’ ace, and arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Kelly was wise to notice the drop in velocity and protect his superstar and the lead.
By doing so, Kelly ensured Skenes didn’t risk injury during a time of major elbow issues among pitchers.
Overuse is a real thing these days, and Kelly just didn’t want to take a chance.
What Else Has Led to This Good Season?
Entering Thursday’s slate of games, Pittsburgh is 20-17, placing them tied for third in the NL Central.
However, despite being third, the Pirates are tied with their division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds for the last Wild Card spot.
But Skenes isn’t the only part of this successful season so far. Lowe has had a great season in his contract year.
After making the All-Star Team in 2025, Lowe has followed that up with nine home runs in 31 games so far.
With an elite .906 OPS, Lowe has been a key part of this hot start for Pittsburgh.
Another pleasant surprise for Pittsburgh has been the resurgence of Mitch Keller. After having an above-4.00 ERA in two consecutive seasons, Keller has started the season with a 2.85 ERA.
While he didn’t start like a house on fire in the first few weeks of his career, rookie phenom Konnor Griffin has been elite the last couple of weeks.
In his last 15 games, Griffin has a .315/.373/.519 slash line with two home runs and four stolen bases.
Overall, this has been a very surprising season for the Pirates so far.
If Skenes can continue his strong start to the season, and the offense continues to surpass expectations, the Pirates could very well be a team to watch late in the season.
Pirates’ Manager Reveals Reasoning for Pulling Paul Skenes After Eight Innings