The Pittsburgh Pirates are watching their ace Paul Skenes get outpitched by division rival Jacob Misiorowski in what’s shaping up to be a competitive NL Cy Young race.
Skenes, last year’s NL Cy Young winner, has pitched well enough to repeat. But he’s not even running second right now.
That’s the reality facing the Pirates’ right-hander, who’s dealing with a seven-game losing streak in his starts and two pitchers ahead of him in the latest rankings. Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez sits in second place behind Milwaukee’s Misiorowski, who’s emerged as the frontrunner.
According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan’s latest Cy Young poll, Misiorowski received 29 first-place votes and 153 total vote points. Skenes finished third with 55 vote points.
The numbers tell the story. Skenes is sporting a 2.86 ERA through 88 innings, which would’ve been elite in most seasons. But Sanchez has posted a 1.80 ERA, while Misiorowski leads all of baseball at 1.45.
It’s not that Skenes has fallen off a cliff.
“If Skenes’ performance this season feels like a step back, it’s only because he set such an insanely high bar over his first two years in the Majors,” Harrigan wrote. “The right-hander may not be the current favorite to repeat as the NL Cy Young winner, but he’s kept himself in contention with a 2.86 ERA, 107 strikeouts and 18 walks over 88 innings.”
What’s hurt Skenes most were two rough outings in May that derailed his momentum. Against the Phillies on May 17 and the Toronto Blue Jays six days later, the two-time All-Star allowed nine earned runs across 10 innings in back-to-back starts.
The Math Gets Harder
With Misiorowski and Sanchez pitching at historically good levels, Skenes needs near-perfection the rest of the way. That’s a tall order for any pitcher, even one with his talent.
The Pirates’ struggles haven’t helped either. When your team can’t win games during your starts, it makes it that much harder to build a Cy Young case. Voters notice those things.
There’s still plenty of baseball left – more than half the season, actually. But if Skenes doesn’t turn things around this year, his next shot might not come until 2028. The looming CBA negotiations could wipe out games in 2027, making this season all the more important for individual award races.
For now, Skenes finds himself chasing two pitchers who’ve been nearly untouchable. It’s not where the reigning Cy Young winner expected to be, but it’s where the numbers have put him.
