Paul Skenes surrenders first run at Triple-A level

Five starts and 14 1/3 scoreless innings into his 2024 campaign, Paul Skenes allowed his first run of the year for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday against Omaha.

The run marked the first blemish to his previously perfect ERA, but the rest of the outing, for the most part, was business as usual for MLB’s No. 3 prospect. Working into the fifth inning for the first time since turning pro, Skenes racked up seven strikeouts, allowing two runs (one earned) in 4 1/3 frames for the Pirates affiliate.

The right-hander’s first taste of adversity came in the second frame. Royals third baseman CJ Alexander laced a slider off the right-field wall for a triple and scored two batters later on a single from outfielder Nate Eaton. Eaton was thrown out on his way to second, getting Skenes out of the inning.

The Pirates’ top prospect extinguished any Storm Chasers momentum in the next inning. Following a leadoff single, Skenes set the next three batters down in order. However, in the fourth, he wasn’t as stingy. After another leadoff knock, the flamethrower walked the next batter and subsequently committed a throwing error, causing another run to score. Skenes then fanned the next two batters, ending his day on a high note.

While the start raised his ERA – which is still at an impressive 0.53 — Skenes still looked every bit as dominant as he had previously. He tied a career high with 12 whiffs and threw 21 pitches 99 mph or faster.