Paul Skenes is only 23 but already has one foot inside the front door of the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.
As always, Skenes flicked aside the Reds like Kleenex in the wind — six innings, no runs, seven hits, no walks, eight strikeouts.
And once again, the Reds fell meekly to the last place Pirates, 7-0. Since 2019, the Reds are 19-42 in PNC Park and have lost 16 of the last 21.
The defeat dropped the Reds 11 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 3 1/2 games behind the New York Mets for the last wild card spot.
With 42 games remaining, the clock is ticking.
Skenes is now 4-0 in four starts against the Reds for his career, giving up one run in 23 innings with 33 strikeouts, a 0.42 earned run average.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Reds had a rare opportunity in the first inning against Skenes, who hadn’t given up a run in the first inning in 28 straight games. Now it’s 29.
After Skenes struck out TJ Friedl on three pitches, Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz both singled on a first pitch, putting runners on second and first with one out.
Austin Hays hit into a double play after a nine-pitch argument with Skenes.
“That was a really good at bat,” Reds manager Tito Francona told reporters after the game. “He was fouling off 100 miles an hour pitches and give Skenes credit. He got a really good hitter out in a tough situation that could have changed things.”
Reds starter Brady Singer retired the first two Pirates in the bottom of the first. Bryan Reynolds is having an off season, but when he sees the Reds he sees red.
Reynolds surprised Singer by swinging at a 3-and-0 pitch. He drilled it to the opposite field for a home run into the left field seats. It was his 16th career home run against the Reds.
Singer then walked three straight.
Oneil Cruz, hitting .208 and 0 for 20, walked.
Andrew McCutchen, in the twilight of an illustrious career, walked.
Jack Suwinski, hitting .118, walked.
That filled the bases and brought up Jared Triolo, hitting .168. He lined a two-run single up the middle and it was 3-0.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Singer was not even a reasonable facsimile of the guy he was in his previous start against the Atlanta Braves — six innings, no runs, four hits and 10 strikeouts.
“That wasn’t the first inning I wanted there, walking guys,” Singer told reporters. “I couldn’t get the command, too many walks trying to get them to chase out of the zone. And I didn’t have command of the zone so it was a struggle all the way around.”
Henry Davis, hitting .164 and 1 for 40, led the fourth with a single and came around to score on a single by Spencer Horwitz.
The Pirates scored a fifth run in the sixth and added two more in the seventh on an error by shortstop Elly De La Cruz and a home run by Davis off Yosver Zulueta.
The Reds did have some chances against Skenes, now 7-8 with a 1.94 earned run average. He has given up two or fewer runs 20 times and one or fewer runs 15 times.
Nearly every time the Reds mounted a mild threat, Skenes mustered a strikeout.
The Reds put two on with two outs in the third. Skenes struck out De La Cruz.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Gavin Lux had three hits and doubled with one out in the fourth. Skenes struck out Spencer Steer and Noelvi Marte.
TJ Friedl doubled with two outs in the fifth. Skenes struck out Matt McLain on three pitches.
So the Reds have lost four of seven and are 13-17 against National League Central division opponents. And the Pirates are on a mini-roll with 11 wins in their last 16 games.
After his team was shut out for the 10th time this season, Francona’s take on Skenes was right on after watching him extend his scoreless streak in PNC Park to 27 2/3 innings.
“I’d seen enough of him on TV to know we had our hands full,” he said. “I actually thought our guys did a pretty good job. We didn’t chase him around, follow every pitch and got a little stubborn.
“We got some hits (seven) off him, but like a really good pitcher he made really good pitches when he needed to.”
And Singer?
“He was pitching in and got a couple of outs,” he said. “But you look up at the end of the inning and he’d thrown 36 pitches. He had some really deep counts and fell behind 3-and-0 and gave up the home run.
“It seemed like a battle all night for him to throw the ball where he wanted to,” he added.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
There was a nice touch during the game.
Reds third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, traded to the Reds by the Pirates last week, returned to PNC Park Thursday night.
When he was announced as the hitter in the second inning, the 20,339 fans gave him a long standing ovation. In a nice touch, home plate umpire Alan Porter told him to step out of the box and drink it all in.
Hayes doffed his helmet, smiled broadly as he waved it at the fans, stepped back into the box and lined a single to left off Skenes.
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
When: 6:40 p.m., Friday, Aug. 8
TV: Apple TV+
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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