Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes was yanked from his outing on Tuesday with his pitch count at 65 even though he had only allowed one earned run and five hits against the Miami Marlins.
"I mean, not really," Skenes replied when asked if he was surprised to be pulled so early. "If I were the manager, I'd probably do it, too. He walked me through everything and it all made sense. Wish I could have gone more, but it is what it is."
POSTGAME: Paul Skenes on tonight's 2-0 shutout loss to the Marlins.
— Tyler Boronski (@TylerBoronski) August 12, 2026
Final line: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, BB, 4 K
Pulled after 65 pitches, third fewest of his season. pic.twitter.com/OX1F4s1afs
Pirates manager Don Kelly said he thought Skenes "threw the ball pretty well," but opted to remove the 2025 NL Cy Young winner because his "velo was down a little bit and he fell behind some guys ... felt like it was just getting away from him a little bit."
POSTGAME: Pirates manager Don Kelly on tonight's 2-0 shutout loss to the Marlins. pic.twitter.com/1Yu2dxUKL6
— Tyler Boronski (@TylerBoronski) August 12, 2026
Skenes' four-seam fastball topped out at 95.7 mph during Tuesday's outing, which is below his season average of 96.9. He entered this campaign having averaged 98.2 mph with his fastball in 2025 and 98.9 mph in 2024.
Kelly reiterated that Skenes is not injured.
"I think anybody this time of year, is not injured, but guys throughout August, nobody is 100%," Kelly said. "It was not injury related that he came out. It just felt like it gave us the best chance to win there."
The Pirates lost Tuesday's contest 2-0 and have won just three of Skenes' last 16 starts.
