Paul Skenes had a great game, striking out nine batters and earning his second career win as the Pittsburgh Pirates won 10-2 against the Detroit Tigers in a doubleheader split on Wednesday.
Skenes, who was making his fourth start in the major leagues, allowed only two runs and three hits in six innings. He now has 30 strikeouts in 22 innings and a 2.45 ERA.
Skenes, who celebrated his 22nd birthday, joked about looking forward to dinner on the team plane, especially Chick-fil-A.
“He did a really good job. He got some at-bats that were extended. The most impressive thing was he still finished hitters,” said manager Derek Shelton about Skenes’ performance, especially praising his use of the two-seam fastball.
Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer in the third inning, marking his 1,600th career hit.
McCutchen had a productive game with three hits, a walk, and driving in four runs. Nick Gonzales also contributed with three hits, including a solo homer.
Tigers’ starter Keider Montero, making his major league debut, allowed four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Montero was called up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the day.
Despite Matt Vierling hitting his fourth home run in three games for Detroit, the team couldn’t keep up their winning streak.
“Our at-bats were pretty good early. We made him work a ton. It looked like we had a couple of opportunities to chase him early. His split, or whatever he calls it, was really good. It’s really effective and really impactful,” commented Tigers manager A.J. Hinch about Skenes’ pitching.
