{"id":629264,"date":"2026-05-07T17:01:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/629264\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:01:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:01:22","slug":"why-were-we-worried-about-paul-skenes-again-plus-a-weird-bout-of-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/629264\/","title":{"rendered":"Why were we worried about Paul Skenes again? Plus: A weird bout of injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Ignore that one bad start; Paul Skenes might be having his best season yet. Plus: Some odd injuries, Ken Rosenthal says the Marlins might not move Sandy Alcantara after all and the Cubs did it \u2026\u00a0again. I\u2019m Levi Weaver, welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Strikes: Skenes is just fine<\/p>\n

Remember Opening Day? Skenes allowed five earned runs in just 2\/3 of an inning to \u2014 and in hindsight,\u00a0wow\u00a0\u2014 the Mets.<\/p>\n

Well, last night, Skenes pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and no walks, striking out seven Diamondbacks as the Pirates won 1-0 and improved to 20-17.\u00a0Skenes is now 5-2, and\u00a0his ERA has dropped from 67.50 (after that first start) to 2.36.<\/p>\n

Improbably, Skenes has somehow been better in Year 3 than in Years 1 (NL Rookie of the Year) or 2 (NL Cy Young award winner). Here\u2019s a short list of stats that are career bests for Skenes this year:<\/p>\n

Hits per nine innings: 4.93
\nWalks per nine innings: 1.50
\nWHIP: 0.71
\nOpponents\u2019 batting average: .156
\nOpponents\u2019 on-base percentage: .204
\nOpponents\u2019 slugging percentage: .265
\nOpponents\u2019 OPS: .469
\nPitches per plate appearance: 4.057
\nPitches per inning: 15.36<\/p>\n

Those last two are particularly interesting to me. Why? Because he\u2019s also posting a career-worst 9.86 K\/9.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll have to do a deep dive soon to see why (quick, put out the Eno Sarris Bat-Signal!),\u00a0but on the surface, it looks like fewer strikeouts = better efficiency.<\/p>\n

Interesting.<\/p>\n

Middle Relief: Quiet successes<\/p>\n

Today, we have an excerpt from Ken Rosenthal\u2019s latest league-wide notes column. You can read the whole thing\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u26be Is Miami pitcher Sandy Alcantara a goner? Maybe not.<\/p>\n

The Marlins\u2019 demotion of\u00a0 struggling catcher Agustin Ram\u00edrez on Monday to make room for top prospect Joe Mack did not attract nearly as much attention as the Yankees\u2019 decision to option shortstop Anthony Volpe. But it demonstrated the same type of front-office urgency.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the Marlins, the term \u201curgency\u201d is relative. Their estimated $73 million dollar payroll is the lowest in the majors<\/a>, and less than one-fourth that of the Yankees. But the front office, at least with its handling of the roster, is trying to win.<\/p>\n

Another example happened Tuesday, when the Marlins designated right-hander Chris Paddack for assignment. Paddack, the team\u2019s third-highest-paid player after signing a one-year, $4 million free-agent contract, had a 7.63 ERA in 30 2\/3 innings. His expected ERA was a more encouraging 4.36, but the Marlins jettisoned him to make room for top prospect Robbie Snelling, who will start Friday night. Braxton Garrett and another top prospect, Thomas White, also are excelling at Triple A.<\/p>\n

Another question the team might face \u2014 whether the return of Garrett from major elbow surgery and emergences of Snelling and White might prompt a trade of staff ace Sandy Alcantara at the deadline \u2014 is more complicated.<\/p>\n

Alcantara\u2019s importance to the team goes beyond his ERA, which after 47 1\/3 innings is 3.04. Alcantara, 30, is a leader in the clubhouse, highly respected in the community, a favorite of owner Bruce Sherman. He also is earning $17.3 million with a $21 million club option for next season. Only one other Marlins player, closer Pete Fairbanks, is earning more than $2.81 million.<\/p>\n

The Marlins\u2019 younger pitchers are promising. But as long as the team remains in contention, a trade of Alcantara would send the wrong message. The Marlins, if they are fortunate enough to develop a surplus in their rotation, perhaps can move Janson Junk, 30, or Max Meyer, 27, instead.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u26be L.A. catcher Will Smith\u2019s quiet Hall of Fame case<\/p>\n

In his\u00a0most recent list<\/a>\u00a0of active players who might be headed to the Hall of Fame,\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s Jayson Stark included the Dodgers\u2019 Will Smith for the first time. That was last July. Smith has since won his third World Series.\u00a0His quiet case for Cooperstown, befitting for his low-key personality, is only getting stronger.<\/p>\n

Smith wasn\u2019t a Rookie of the Year or MVP like former catcher Buster Posey was, but Smith has already matched Posey in World Series titles. Smith\u2019s offensive profile is similar to where Posey\u2019s was at the same point of his career. And Smith, 31, figures to play longer than Posey, who retired at 34. Smith is signed through his age 38 season.<\/p>\n

Through 752 career games:<\/p>\n

Posey:\u00a0.859 OPS, 102 HRs, 446 RBIs
\nSmith:\u00a0.831 OPS, 131 HRs, 458 RBIs
\nOuch: What a weird injury day<\/p>\n

We found out pretty early in the day yesterday that Astros 3B\/SS Carlos Correa\u2019s ankle injury was, in fact, a pretty big deal. He\u00a0will have surgery to repair a torn tendon and\u00a0miss the rest of this season<\/a>. That came on the same day that the Astros lost 12-2 to the Dodgers, and may have lost Lance McCullers to the IL again, because \u2026 his\u00a0fingernail fell off<\/a>, leaving Houston\u2019s rotation in even more disarray. At 15-23, time is running out for the Astros to\u00a0patch all the pitching holes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But McCullers\u2019 wasn\u2019t the oddest injury of the day.\u00a0Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, who had\u00a0just\u00a0returned from the IL with a left biceps strain, injured himself before he even got to the park. While playing with his kids, Boyd\u00a0suffered a meniscus injury<\/a>\u00a0in his left knee. The Cubs won\u2019t know til after his surgery if the recovery timeline is weeks, or months.<\/p>\n

Boyd joins Justin Steele, Cade Horton and seven other pitchers on Chicago\u2019s IL. And yet \u2026 well, more on that in the next section. But we\u2019re not done here yet, because \u2026<\/p>\n

While there weren\u2019t any injuries, there was still some pain as the White Sox and Angels made history:\u00a0It was the first time (in at least the last 70 seasons) two teams combined for\u00a0three\u00a0bases-loaded hit-by-pitches in one game.<\/p>\n

And of course there were also a few \u201cnormal\u201d injuries. Royals southpaw Cole Ragans left his start with triceps and elbow soreness, and will undergo testing. And Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow exited after 19 pitches with another case of \u201ctall guy back<\/a>,\u201d but is expected to avoid the IL.<\/p>\n

A Win Is A Win: Cubs walk it off yet again<\/p>\n

It crossed my mind, as a funny little joke, to just copy\/paste\u00a0yesterday\u2019s section<\/a>\u00a0here and update the numbers, because the Cubs\u00a0still\u00a0lead baseball in walk-off wins (it\u2019s six now), and they did it against the same Reds team as the night before (and the night before that).<\/p>\n

This time, the drama was cranked up about as far as these things go in the first week of May. Already overtaking a Cincinnati team that jumped out to an early division lead, the Cubs were on the brink of a sweep that would feel truly catastrophic for the Reds.<\/p>\n

Cincinnati made it interesting with a four-run top of the ninth that featured a rare two-run sac fly (more on that in a sec), but Pete Crow-Armstrong\u2019s two-run homer tied it in the bottom of the ninth, and a bases-loaded walk sealed the deal.<\/p>\n

Three straight walk-off wins against the Reds<\/a>.\u00a0(Is that a \u201csweep-off?\u201d) Fourteen straight wins at home. The Cubs are 25-12 and cruising.<\/p>\n

Now, about that sac fly \u2026<\/p>\n

It happens every few years. A fielder is out of position or \u2014 in the case of Seiya Suzuki last night \u2014 falls on their backside while catching the ball. As a result, the runner from second scores, and a batter gets two RBIs on a sac fly.<\/p>\n

So I got curious: Has there ever been a\u00a0three-RBI sac fly?!<\/p>\n

Of course not. That\u2019s absurd. Far too absurd a premise to spend two hours researching it, that\u2019s for sure; I definitely didn\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n

But I\u00a0was\u00a0able to find one three-run sac fly: Starlin Castro of the Marlins hit one that\u00a0cleared the bases<\/a>\u00a0against the Pirates. (Naturally, that happened on\u00a0Friday the 13th of April, 2018.) But the last two runs scored on an error. Oh well.<\/p>\n

More Reds:\u00a0Closer\u00a0Emilio Pag\u00e1n will miss 4-8 weeks<\/a>\u00a0with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.<\/p>\n

Handshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

Ted Turner\u00a0passed away<\/a>\u00a0yesterday at 87 years old. Tyler Kepner\u00a0tells a little more of Turner\u2019s story<\/a>, from his early days as a free-wheeling maverick owner through the Braves\u2019 ascent to one of the league\u2019s model franchises.<\/p>\n

Three-plus years after the shift was banned, base hits haven\u2019t really gone up. Cody Stavenhagen and Stephen Nesbitt explain why \u2014 and\u00a0ask if it really matters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I really enjoyed this story from Amy Cuddy, laying out the ways that superstitions \u2014 or rather \u201crituals\u201d \u2014\u00a0can actually be beneficial<\/a>\u00a0to baseball players.<\/p>\n

In Detroit: Framber V\u00e1ldez was\u00a0suspended five games<\/a>\u00a0for intentionally throwing a fastball at Trevor Story, and the Tigers\u00a0fired their Triple-A manager<\/a>\u00a0after alleged harassment claims. Sheesh,\u00a0what a week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When it comes to agitating opponents, Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing is entering A.J. Pierzynski territory. Pierzynski, Rushing and the catcher\u2019s teammates all weigh in on what it means to find the line\u00a0between competitor and problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This weekend, the Braves and Dodgers face off. Jes\u00fas Cano tells us the\u00a0four biggest factors<\/a>\u00a0in Atlanta\u2019s early success.<\/p>\n

Keith Law has the White Sox with a surprise first pick in his\u00a0Mock Draft 1.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in our last newsletter:\u00a0Jim\u00a0Bowden\u2019s story on\u00a0pitchers who could be traded<\/a>\u00a0at this year\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-629264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}