Paul Skenes suddenly looks human again as Pirates’ problems keep growing

May 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

For the second straight start, Paul Skenes looked far more vulnerable than baseball fans have become accustomed to seeing. And that is suddenly becoming a real concern for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

After spending most of the 2026 season looking nearly untouchable, Skenes struggled again Saturday afternoon in a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The Pirates ace allowed nine hits and four earned runs across five innings while striking out only two batters in one of the roughest outings of his young career.

Knockout stuff not there

That low strikeout total especially stood out. Coming into Saturday, Skenes had piled up 63 strikeouts in just 55 innings and entered the game with MLB’s best WHIP at 0.71. He had routinely overpowered lineups with triple-digit velocity and devastating swing-and-miss stuff.

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Toronto did not look overmatched at all. The Blue Jays jumped on Skenes immediately when George Springer launched a leadoff home run in the first inning. But the bigger issue came later as Toronto repeatedly squared him up during a disastrous sixth inning that completely changed the game.

After the Pirates briefly tied things at 1-1 on an RBI double from Marcell Ozuna, Skenes immediately unraveled.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled. Yohendrick Pinango followed with another hit. Then Jesús Sánchez ripped a go-ahead RBI double before Ernie Clement added an RBI single moments later. By the time Pittsburgh escaped the inning, the Blue Jays had turned a tie game into a 4-1 lead and completely seized momentum.

Paul Skenes allowed a career-high nine hits as a starter in today's game against the Blue Jays 😯 pic.twitter.com/p58clfGinH

Hits on hits

Perhaps most surprising was how hard Toronto consistently hit him. Skenes allowed 11 total baserunners in only five innings and generated far less swing-and-miss than normal. The Blue Jays appeared comfortable attacking early in counts, and several hitters barreled pitches that typically explode past opponents.

The outing also continued a strange recent trend. Over his previous two starts, Skenes has now allowed 15 hits and nine earned runs across just 10 innings. Before this rough stretch, he had looked like an early National League Cy Young favorite while posting a microscopic ERA for most of the season.

Skenes still elite

Even after Saturday’s loss, his numbers remain excellent overall. Skenes still owns a 3.00 ERA with 63 strikeouts and only eight walks in 55 innings. But the aura of invincibility surrounding him has clearly taken a hit over the last week. That is a troubling development for Pittsburgh because the Pirates desperately need Skenes to carry them.

The loss dropped Pittsburgh back to .500 at 26-26 and pushed the club 5.5 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central standings. The Pirates have also now dropped the first two games of the series in Toronto while their offense continues struggling to provide consistent support.

For most teams, a rough two-start stretch from an ace would not feel like a crisis. But Skenes has set the bar so absurdly high that suddenly looking human becomes a headline all by itself.

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