starting pitcher Paul Skenes entered the majors this season as one of the most hyped pitchers in recent baseball history, and so far he's lived up to the billing.Paul Skenes of the @Pirates is the first pitcher to debut in the expansion era to get five or more runs of support from his offense in each of his first five career MLB starts.is the first pitcher to debut in the expansion era to get five or more runs of support from his offense in each of his first five career MLB starts.
Skenes is 3-0 through his first five starts and owns a 3.00 ERA. He's struck out 38 batters in 27.0 innings with his triple-digit fastball, his nasty "splinker" and a slider. Opponents are hitting just .212 off him. With Skenes and Jared Jones at the top of the rotation, the Pirates certainly have a bright future ahead of them. Right now, Pittsburgh is in last place in the National League Central, but they are just 1.5 games out of second.
The Pirates will open up a new series on Friday night at home against the Minnesota Twins. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET. Skenes is next scheduled to pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals.Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube.