Skenes looks to end his winless stretch as Pirates open with Reds

The Pittsburgh Pirates begin an opener against the Cincinnati Reds with a familiar hope attached to the name Paul Skenes. In his next outing, the right-hander will try to secure a first victory that has eluded him for a stretch that has reached eight starts, even as his overall run prevention has stayed within a relatively tight band.

According to an MLB team report released ahead of the matchup on June 26, Skenes began the month of May with form that suggested a quick return to dominance. He delivered two eight-inning outings early in the season and produced two wins in the process. That early momentum has faded since May 12, when he last recorded a victory, leaving him winless across the intervening starts.

What has not left Skenes is workload. The Pirates report places his workload at 38 innings of pitching during the span in which he has been unable to convert his starts into wins, alongside a 4.03 ERA figure. That combination frames the problem Pittsburgh faces in this specific stretch. If the Pirates can provide him with run support during the middle frames, his outings have the length and stability to keep games manageable, even when the scoreboard is slow to move.

The report also underscores that Skenes has continued to be productive in how he limits damage in his recent appearances. It notes that he has thrown six innings and allowed two runs in each of his last games, a detail that matters because it speaks to consistency of execution rather than isolated bursts of success. In a rotation built on pitchers reaching the later innings, the ability to absorb the opponent’s first punch and then settle into a two-run ceiling can be as valuable as a higher ceiling outcome like a complete game.

For the Reds, the matchup is a chance to test Pittsburgh’s ability to turn a quality outing into a lead. Cincinnati’s lineup will be facing Skenes with an understanding that the right-hander’s win drought is not necessarily the same as a performance drought. The Pirates, for their part, need the bats to do their part once Skenes establishes his rhythm, particularly in the periods where his efficiency has translated into two-run limits rather than rallies that force earlier bullpen work.

This is also a notable point in the Pirates’ season timing. June ends and July begins with growing urgency for teams looking to build momentum for the second half. A pitcher of Skenes’ profile carries weight not only because of what he does on the mound, but because of what his presence does to the structure of the rotation and the confidence of the staff around him. When a starter can routinely get through six innings while keeping scoring constrained, the team can better plan high-leverage innings later in the day.

The next question is straightforward: can Pittsburgh convert Skenes’ recent, relatively steady run prevention into the first win of this eight-start window? If the Pirates can provide consistent offense early and not wait for late innings, the win total that has stalled since May 12 may finally catch up. If not, the tension will likely persist, because the rotation will still need Skenes to be the kind of starter who keeps the game from slipping away before the bullpen takes over.