After throwing his first complete game, Paul Skenes has somehow added another loss to his record here in 2025. Now 3-5, Skenes already has two more losses than he did last year. Having started 10 games in 2025, it’s a vast difference compared to his 11-3 record in 2024 with 23 games started.
Ultimately, Skenes is proving he’s one of the best pitchers in the league, but his win-loss record doesn’t reflect that.
Pirates Waste Paul Skenes’ First Complete Game
A 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies was more than enough for Pirates fans to complain about as their team fell to 15-32, having one of the worst records in baseball. Skenes was absolutely dealing, pitching the complete eight innings in 102 pitches.
Having struck out nine and walking just one, his one earned run given up on three hits wasn’t good enough to come home with a win.
Paul Skenes is the first pitcher in Pirates franchise history to have a start with 8+ IP, 1/0 R, 3 or fewer hits allowed and 9+ K and lose.
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid)
Skenes is now the first starting pitcher in Pirates franchise history to throw at least eight innings, surrender one run on three or fewer hits, strike out nine batters, and still lose. These numbers seem made up, but they’re a telling sign of the organization’s state. Also, they’re a great indicator of just how flawed the pitcher win-loss system can be.
After entering the month of May with a 2.39 ERA, Skenes has picked up three losses in his four starts so far in the month. His ERA currently sits at 2.44, just five hundredths of a run higher than at the end of April. The Pirates have lost all four of Skenes’ starts, scoring three runs (twice), one run, and zero runs respectively in those games.
In total, Skenes has allowed only 17 earned runs in 10 starts this year, but the Pirates have lost seven of those games. There’s no doubt that the 22-year-old pitcher is the best player on the Pirates roster, but he has absolutely nothing to show for it so far in his young career.
Paul Skenes has allowed only 17 earned runs in 10 starts this year but the Pirates have lost 7 of those games. pic.twitter.com/RYO2ZlsWur
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball)
Some of Skenes’ advanced stats still rank him in the top 10 percent of baseball, including his .260 XWOBA, .313 XWOBACON, and 2.49 xERA. Last season, Skenes ranked in the top five percent of baseball in categories like XSLG (.297), XWOBA (.248), K% (33.1), and xERA (2.53). With the whole world watching, Skenes has remained dialed in, and most of his numbers haven’t increased too much.
With no signs of a sophomore slump, the righty’s trade value is through the roof. Skenes was one of the most dominant pitchers in LSU history, and while he’s putting up incredible numbers in the MLB, the Pirates have no use for him when they’re struggling as much as they are.
Management has been long in talks for a complete rebuild, and while a normal team should center that around Paul Skenes, this team simply doesn’t have the money to compete and sign him to the long-term contract that he’s worth.