Pittsburgh Review

LOS ANGELES -- Paul Skenes’ homecoming was bumpier than previous outings in the Majors, as the Orange County native allowed a season-high four runs in a 4-1 Pirates loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. This defeat extended the Pirates’ losing streak to six games, matching their longest stretch this season.

While Skenes managed to control the two MVPs in the Dodgers’ lineup, holding Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to 0-for-3 each, other hitters posed challenges. Teoscar Hernández accumulated three hits, and Gavin Lux drove in three runs.

"I thought I executed pretty much all of those pitches,” Skenes said. “Against Lux, the sinker was maybe a little too far in. The four-seam drifted across the plate a little bit. Against Teoscar, I don't think I didn't execute any of those pitches. He's a good hitter and he got to them. Gotta tip your cap. They're good hitters."

It was also one of the first times this year that Skenes’ “splinker” -- his hybrid of a sinker and splitter -- appeared hittable. Entering the game, hitters were held to a .170 batting average with a 30 percent whiff rate on this pitch. However, Dodger hitters picked up three hits against it on Saturday, including a fifth-inning home run by Hernández.

Manager Derek Shelton disagreed that the pitch was off that night, and Skenes maintained confidence in it.

"I'm not going to stop throwing it,” Skenes said. “He won the Home Run Derby this year, right? He won it for a reason. Gotta tip your cap. I'm gonna keep attacking guys with that pitch."

The Dodgers' Nos. 2 and 4 hitters limited Skenes to six innings during which he allowed four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out eight.

Offensively, the Pirates had nine hits but only scored once via Ke’Bryan Hayes' solo shot in the ninth inning. They had opportunities with men on base and made some hard contact but couldn't find gaps in the defense.

“They made really good defensive plays tonight,” Shelton said. “That ended up being the difference in the game."

Shelton emphasized resilience moving forward: “We have to rebound... We need that ball that Joey hit to fall... And we're going to get it.”

Skenes appeared ready to move past this outing: "Just looking at it as objectively as possible... there was a lot of good... I'm not going to lose any sleep over [the hits or home run]. They're good hitters... I just gotta keep playing my game."

Reflecting on pitching near his hometown: "It's cool,” Skenes said with a grin. “Cool stadium. Nice to be in California weather again."