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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Confirmed as Opening Day starter

  3D ago • By RotoWire

  Manager Derek Shelton informed Skenes on Saturday that he will start Opening Day against the Marlins. After he turned in a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 23 starts last season en route to being named the NL Rookie of the Year, it hardly comes as a surprise that Skenes will take the hill for Pittsburgh's first regular-season game. The 22-year-old star hasn't quite matched those numbers this spring (3.60 ERA, 1.70 WHIP), though his 12 strikeouts in 10 innings suggests he's primed for another fantastic season. He'll have the advantage of pitching against a Marlins lineup that finished with the second-worst OPS in the NL last season (.678) and projects to remain weak in '25.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Strikes out four in spring debut

  16D ago • By RotoWire

  Skenes allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out four across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game. Skenes had a slow start to his first spring training outing, allowing three baserunners and his only earned run in the first inning. He was sharp thereafter and surprisingly threw 54 pitches, though the longer outing allowed him to work in his cutter and sinker -- offerings he developed over the offseason, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Throws live BP after rainout

  22D ago • By RotoWire

  Skenes threw a 45-pitch live batting practice session Monday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports. Skenes had been slated for his Grapefruit League debut Monday against the Phillies, but the game was rained out. Rather than push their ace back a day, the Pirates elected to keep Skenes on schedule and get his work in with some live batting practice instead. Skenes will be among the first pitchers off the board in fantasy drafts this spring.

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Brings home NL ROY

  11/19/2024 • By RotoWire

  Skenes was named the 2024 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year on Monday. This award comes as no surprise for Skenes, who earned 23 first-place votes and seven second-place votes in a landslide victory. The flamethrower posted an eye-poping 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 170 strikeouts over 23 starts (133.0 innings) during his rookie campaign. However, Skenes already has his sights on next season, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I was super pleased with this year, going out there and competing. But there's more work to be done."

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• Pirates' Paul Skenes: Fans nine in victory

  09/23/2024 • By RotoWire

  Skenes (11-3) pitched five shutout innings to pick up the win Sunday against Cincinnati, allowing two hits and zero walks while striking out nine. Skenes was flawless outside of a pair of singles, racking up 25 called-plus-swinging strikes en route to nine strikeouts. Skenes threw a season-low 73 pitches Sunday after throwing 98 or more in each of his previous three starts. The 22-year-old is tentatively scheduled to start next weekend against the Yankees, but the Pirates are sure to be very cautious with their prized rookie in his final start of a lost season. If this is it, Skenes would finish a historic rookie season with a sparkling 1.99 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 167:32 K:BB in 131 innings (22 starts).

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