The Pittsburgh Pirates have pushed back Paul Skenes' next start. That means he now is scheduled to pitch next against the Tigers on Wednesday, in the series finale of the teams' three-game set at PNC Park. Pirates manager Don Kelly, a former Tiger, made the announcement Saturday night. Skenes has struggled for much of this season, and lately he's seen a significant drop in velocity.
Skenes' regular turn in the rotation would've been Sunday. If he pitches Wednesday, he'll be on seven days' rest. "It certainly can't hurt in terms of recovery, and you add recovery in for anybody and that's going to help," Skenes told reporters Saturday, including MLB.com. "So, kind of wish it weren't the case (not starting Sunday), because that's something I pride myself on. "But in the long run, it's definitely best to just get some recovery time." Skenes added, "Ultimately, it was Donny's decision ... I don't necessarily disagree with the decision either." Skenes, 24, is 9-11 with a 3.88 ERA this season, after winning the National League rookie of the year award in 2024 and the NL Cy Young Award in 2025. But he's regressed as this season has gone along. Skenes' ERA was 1.98 after his start on May 12. In 16 starts since then, his ERA is 5.00. He allowed two runs on five hits over five innings his last time out, on Aug. 11. But he struck out only four batters, and the right-hander was pulled after 65 pitches, stirring big concern among Pirates fans. Skenes' fastball velocity is down from 2025, with his four-seam fastball averaging 96.8 from 98.2. "Everybody deals with stuff," Skenes told MLB.com. "I think going through a full major-league season and not dealing with stuff, I don't know if there's ever been somebody who's done that. "So everybody's tired. Everybody's grinding, and we just got to keep going." Skenes has made three starts against the Tigers, one in 2024 and two in 2025. He is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA against Detroit, with 24 strikeouts in 18 innings. The Tigers-Pirates series starts Monday night at PNC Park. The Pirates are expected to start reliever Lake Bachar in Skenes' place Monday night. Skenes' Wednesday start now will feature a matchup against Jackson Jobe of the Tigers. The series pitching matchups for Tigers-Pirates are as follows:
Monday: LHP Framber Valdez (7-8, 4.26) vs. RHP Lake Bachar (0-0, 5.14) Tuesday: RHP Keider Montero (9-7, 3.22) vs. TBD Wednesday: RHP Jackson Jobe (1-1, 6.23) vs. Paul Skenes (9-11, 3.88)
tpaul@detroitnews.com @tonypaul1984 This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pirates give Paul Skenes extra rest; he'll now pitch in Tigers series