Skenes: 'Completely lost season' if Pirates don't grow after Shelton firing

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes wants to see some urgency from his team after manager Derek Shelton was fired following a 12-26 start to the season.

"That's one thing that we need to figure out as a group, is what our goal is for the season, and figure out how to get there," Skenes told reporters Friday, including Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Salvageable. What does that mean? And I'm not saying for you or for the rest of the media, but what does it mean within the locker room, too.

"If nothing else, we're going to grow. We better grow. Because then, if we don't grow, it's a completely lost season. ... Gotta keep going and understand the urgency of where we're at right now."

Skenes has done his part, authoring a 2.77 ERA with 0.95 WHIP and 47 strikeouts over 48 2/3 innings (eight starts) in 2025. The 22-year-old phenom is the reigning NL Rookie of the Year after becoming a 2024 NL Cy Young finalist despite making only 23 starts. However, the Pirates still finished last in the NL Central - the same spot the club is currently in.

Pittsburgh is riding a seven-game losing streak and sits 10 games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs and 10.5 games out of the NL's final wild-card spot.