Ben Cherington addresses Paul Skenes’ late-season velocity dip as Pirates look for answers on their No. 1 arm

Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington addressed concerns around Paul Skenes’ late-season pitching velocity, acknowledging that the right-hander’s effectiveness has not disappeared, even if some of his usual power has been harder to find. The topic has landed in the spotlight because Skenes has gone from looking like a difference-maker every time out to spending more time working through hitters rather than blowing them away.

According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Skenes has posted a 6-7 record and a 3.10 ERA this season, with a WHIP of 0.97. The overall results still point to a pitcher who is preventing baserunners, even if runs allowed have come in different patterns than fans may be used to from the franchise’s marquee starter.

The same report highlights that his baseline strikeout production remains strong: 114 strikeouts across 93 innings pitched. That matters because velocity is only one piece of a starter’s overall performance. A pitcher can reduce average pace and still generate swings via timing, command, and pitch shape, though it often changes how many innings a fastball-heavy approach can dominate.

In that context, Cherington’s comments were framed around process and explanation rather than panic. For an organization, the challenge is separating normal day-to-day variation and workload management from something more structural, especially for a young ace whose reputation is tied to high-leverage stuff.

The Pirates’ interest in what changed around Skenes is amplified by what he represents for their pitching identity. Pittsburgh has leaned on its rotation to keep games within reach, and a frontline starter’s velocity is part of the engine behind both strikeout totals and the team’s ability to shorten innings. If Skenes’ fastball is arriving at slightly lower speeds, the rest of his pitch mix may need to do more heavy lifting.

Still, the most meaningful question is not whether velocity fluctuates, but whether it fluctuates in a way that changes his outcomes over a longer stretch. The reported numbers show a pitcher producing at a credible level by ERA and WHIP, which suggests that, whatever is behind the reported dip, command and run prevention have held up.

Going forward, the most important things to watch are whether Skenes’ pitch-to-pitch patterns tighten, whether his fastball velocity stabilizes, and whether hitters begin to extend at-bats or sit on what they think he is offering. For the Pirates, those answers will determine how they plan their late-season innings management and how aggressively they can rely on Skenes as a strikeout anchor.

If Cherington’s comments land the way they were intended, they offer a practical reassurance while the organization works through the why. The comfort for Pittsburgh is that the underlying results cited in the report remain strong, but the urgency will come from clarifying whether the velocity drop is a temporary adjustment phase or a longer-term trend.