Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes explained how the Toronto Blue Jays figured him out in the Jays’ 5-2 win over the Pirates on Saturday.
Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, had one of his worst starts of the year against the Jays. Going just 5 IP, Skenes gave up 9 hits and 4 ER while striking out just 2. For a pitcher who is considered by many to be the best in the game, it was surprising to see him be so ineffective against a Blue Jays lineup that has struggled for much of this season.
Paul Skenes Reacts After Losing to Blue Jays
Speaking to reporters following the game, Skenes was asked why he had so much trouble with the Blue Jays, and he shared his honest thoughts, admitting the Jays just had his number today.
“(The Blue Jays) did a good job today. Watching a couple of the pitches, just kind of got to tip your cap,” Skenes said.
When asked what he thought of his own performance, Skenes felt that he did better than what his final pitching line showed.
“There was good and bad. I need to get ahead in counts. I wasn’t super unhappy with some of the execution on some of the pitches, but could have executed a number of them better. I’ll have to rewatch (the game) again, but I think similar to last week (against the Philadelphia Phillies), probably not as bad as the line would suggest,” Skenes said.
As far as what he needs to do differently to get back on track in his next start, the ace said it’s minor adjustments.
“Just executing a little bit better. I feel like a lot of them (pitches) weren’t poorly executed necessarily, but could have been better executed, so just gotta throw a ball higher or a ball lower or a ball more in or out or something like that,” Skenes said.
Blue Jays Back in Playoff Position
Don’t look now, but the Blue Jays are back in a playoff position in the American League following this win over the Pirates, which was their fourth victory in a row. They are 25-27 this year.
The Blue Jays are now tied for the third Wild Card spot with the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers for the final playoff spot in the AL. Given how poorly the season started for the Blue Jays, it’s quite incredible to see them battle back to get into a playoff spot after such a rough start to the season.
The Blue Jays have been one of the most injured teams in the league this year, but key players such as Alejandro Kirk, Shane Bieber, and Nathan Lukes are working their way back into the team’s lineup. With their healthy players showing more consistency, plus their injured players returning to the squad, don’t look now, because the defending AL champs are coming for a Wild Card spot, though the division may be tough to win at this point, as the Tampa Bay Rays are up by 10.5 games.
Paul Skenes Explains How Blue Jays Figured Him Out