![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Skenes2-1120x630.jpeg\")
Phot provided by Matt Lynch\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhot provided by Matt Lynch\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
When a team only scores a combined five runs but still wins a three-game series, that can only mean one thing \u2014 good starting pitching.<\/p>\n
That was the case for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had some struggles offensively in their series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.<\/p>\n
The Pirates were on the wrong end of a 9-0 shutout in the first game of the series on Tuesday. Pittsburgh won a 1-0 pitchers\u2019 duel on Wednesday night and earned a 4-2 rubber match win on Thursday. <\/p>\n
After dropping the first game of the series, who better to have on the mound than the top two in the starting rotation?<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, it was Paul Skenes, who delivered one of the best starts of his career. The reigning Cy Young winner completed eight innings for the fourth time in his career and blanked Arizona on two hits.<\/p>\n
The right-hander started strong and ended strong. He retired the first 14 batters he faced before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reached on an infield single. Nolan Arenado followed with a base hit to right, but Skenes retired the final 10 batters he faced, the last three of which came via strikeout. <\/p>\n
On Thursday, Mitch Keller had some shaky command and allowed two runs through the first two innings. But the right-hander rebounded with three scoreless innings and retired nine batters in a row before he was pulled after allowing a leadoff single to begin the seventh. <\/p>\n
Keller delivered his sixth quality start of the season (eight total starts) after holding Arizona to two runs across six-strong innings of work. <\/p>\n
Both pitchers have sub-3.00 ERA\u2019s on the season \u2014 Skenes (2.36, which ranks eighth in the National League) and Keller (2.87, which ranks 16th). The duo is carrying the starting rotation so far this season. They represent a big reason for the team\u2019s early success with a combined record of 9-3.<\/p>\n
While the Pirates will take a series win, there are a couple red flags that pooped up during the three-game set.<\/p>\n
Two Concerns<\/p>\n
Infield defense has been really strong for the Pirates this season, but it\u2019s a different story in the outfield.<\/p>\n
There was another miscue on Tuesday night, when Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds converged in right-center only to watch a ball fall between them for an RBI double. The fault on this one looked to be with Reynolds, but it\u2019s not the first time the two have had a miscommunication.<\/p>\n
The communication between Cruz and Reynolds needs to get better. Reynolds looked like he was either expecting to be called off by Cruz or was hesitant to pursue the ball with the big, speedy center fielder racing over. And again, it\u2019s not the first time something like this has happened.<\/p>\n
Cruz and Reynolds both grade well-below-average defensively. Ryan O\u2019Hearn, who has looked better that I expected in right field, is playing out of position. <\/p>\n
Things need to get better when patrolling the outfield grass, or else sooner or later one of these miscues will really come back to haunt the Pirates.<\/p>\n
Something else that needs to get better is Bubba Chandler\u2019s control. The right-hander grinded through five innings in his start on Tuesday night and only allowed two runs, but he walked six more batters.<\/p>\n
Chandler\u2019s 26 walks (in 34 innings) are tied for the most in baseball and are the most in the NL at the conclusion of Thursday\u2019s game. <\/p>\n
Control issues plagued Chandler in Triple-A last season, but once he was promoted to the Pirates, he only walked four batters in 31.1 innings.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old is incredibly talented and has an impressive pitch mix, but he\u2019ll need to find a way to harness his offerings and quickly. Otherwise, the Pirates could face an interesting decision once Jared Jones returns from the injured list, which is coming fairly soon. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Mitch Keller<\/a> Paul Skenes<\/a> Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> <\/p>\n