Skenes (9-11) took the loss Tuesday, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings as the Pirates fell 2-0 to the Marlins. He struck out four.
Pittsburgh's hitters couldn't solve Eury Perez and the Miami bullpen, giving Skenes no margin for error in a solid outing. While Skenes made an early exit after 65 pitches (45 strikes), per Jason Mackey of MLB.com, manager Don Kelly indicated after the game that there was no injury concern with the right-hander. Instead, the game situation presented him with an opportunity to give the 24-year-old right-hander a bit of extra rest. Skenes has struggled of late, giving up 13 runs in 14.1 innings over his prior three starts, and his fastball velocity was down over one mph Tuesday, averaging 95.7 mph. Skenes will look to rally in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come at home this weekend against the Red Sox.