PITTSBURGH — Despite boasting one of baseball’s elite pitchers in Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates are grappling with one of the worst records in MLB this season.
Skenes concluded his 2025 campaign with a 10-10 record across 32 starts, posting a stellar 1.97 ERA over 187.2 innings, with 216 strikeouts against 42 walks, a .199 opponents’ batting average, and a 0.95 WHIP. His advanced metrics include a 10.36 K/9, 2.01 BB/9, and a 5.14 K/BB ratio.
Among MLB pitchers with just four games left, Skenes leads with the lowest ERA, ties for third in strikeouts, ranks fourth in WHIP, sixth in opponents’ batting average, ninth in innings pitched, fifth in K/BB, seventh in BB/9, and eighth in K/9.
Skenes is the leading candidate for the National League Cy Young Award. Remarkably, he’s the first pitcher since 1913 to finish a season with a sub-2.00 ERA and over 200 strikeouts without a winning record.
The Pirates’ pitching staff is robust, featuring veterans like Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo, alongside promising rookies such as Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Mike Burrows, and Bubba Chandler. Their bullpen is bolstered by reliable arms like Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Dennis Santana.
However, Pittsburgh’s offense is among the league’s weakest, ranking last in slugging percentage (.349), OPS (.653), runs scored (570), home runs (113), and RBIs (549). They also have the third-lowest batting average (.230), third-fewest hits (1,214), sixth-lowest on-base percentage (.304), and seventh-most strikeouts (1,397).
With a 69-89 record, the Pirates are on track for their fifth losing season in six years, sitting at the bottom of the National League Central and fourth-worst in MLB.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan, appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, lauded Skenes’ phenomenal season but stressed that the Pirates must bolster their lineup to support him.
Passan noted that despite their struggles, the Pirates are close to playoff contention. He urged owner Bob Nutting to invest in offensive talent for 2026, saying:
“Paul Skenes will unanimously win the National League Cy Young Award this year, and he’s earned it in his first full MLB season, exceeding the immense hype around him.
With pitchers like Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, and Hunter Barco, the Pirates’ pitching is set. They’re just three bats away from being a playoff team. But that requires Nutting to open his wallet.
“When do you seize this moment and give Pittsburgh fans what they deserve? The losing has to stop. We’ve seen small-market teams like the Kansas City Royals transform their rosters in the offseason. The Pirates can do it too. The question is, will Nutting step up?”
Source: SI.com
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