Pirates' Paul Skenes Picks Off MLB's Stolen Base Leader
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates rookie ace Paul Skenes was dominant on all fronts against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, though one of his most impressive feats of the night didn't directly involve pitching.
With one out in the top of the first inning and no one on, Skenes walked Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz with left fielder Spencer Steer on-deck. De La Cruz leads MLB in stolen bases by a wide margin with 60, making him quite the force to contend with on the base paths.
Skenes erased that threat rather quickly, however, picking off De La Cruz for the second time this season before escaping from the frame unscathed.
De La Cruz, one of the National League MVP front-runners behind Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, has been caught stealing 12 times on the year and is prone to getting caught leaning the wrong way due to his aggressiveness as a runner, which Skenes has exploited now on multiple occasions.
The Pirates starter picked apart Cincinnati's lineup from that point forward, surrendering just two hits and no free passes as he completed six innings and generated nine strikeouts.
Pittsburgh went on to win the game 7-0 thanks to a six-run fifth inning off of Reds left-handed starter Nick Lodolo and right-handed reliever Jakob Junis, which was highlighted by a bases-clearing double from outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. It was just his second two-bagger since joining the team at the trade deadline.
Skenes is now 8-2 on the reason with a 2.16 ERA, 2.78 FIP and 130 strikeouts across 17 starts and 104 innings. Thursday's shutout performance was his first since infamously getting pulled from a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 11 after throwing 99 pitches in seven innings.
While Skenes recently fell behind San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill in Rookie of the Year odds, his showing against the Reds may push momentum ever-so-slightly back in his direction after Merrill went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a loss to the New York Mets last night.
JACK MARKOWSKI