The Los Angeles Dodgers offense struggled yet again on Tuesday, losing 1-0 in Pittsburgh. Rookie phenom Jared Jones was terrific in sending the Dodgers to their third shutout in the last 21 games. Things won't get easier on Wednesday.
Rookie Paul Skenes will be on the bump for the Pirates, making the fifth start of his career. Coming into the year with as much fanfare as we've seen for a young starter probably since Stephen Strasburg, Skenes has been every bit as advertised for the Bucs.
Through 22 innings, Skenes has posted a 2.45 ERA (2.83 xERA). He's striking opposing hitters out at a 35.7 percent clip, while walking them at a rate under seven. He also has opposing hitters putting the ball on the ground roughly 52 percent of the time.
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Thus far, Skenes has started a pair against the Chicago Cubs, one against each of the San Francisco Giants & Detroit Tigers. He's thrown at least six innings in each of his last three starts. His best start was the second one against Chicago at Wrigley Field, in which he threw six innings of no-hit ball & struck out 11 hitters.
Skenes' arsenal has very much been as advertised. His fastball is his primary pitch, averaging 99.3 MPH across his four starts. Secondary stuff includes a slider that he throws roughly 20 percent of the time but also a devastating "splinker" that he throws at a 35 percent rate. The last pitch is garnering whiffs 40 percent of the time.
Velocity is nothing new for the Dodgers. Only the Cubs have faced a higher average pitch velocity than LA hitters have so far. Skenes' ability to get hitters driving the ball into the ground will be an interesting aspect to watch, though, as the Dodgers feature the lowest GB% of any team in baseball.
Of course, it's a generally tough ask for the Dodgers' lineup given their recent struggles at the plate. It's not as if Skenes has been completely unhittable. But with their issues against the fastball-slider combo of Jones on Tuesday, they'll certainly have their work cut out for them against even higher-end stuff from Paul Skenes.