Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes faced a challenging game against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, where he gave up three home runs in a single appearance, a first in his career. The home runs were hit by Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki during the fifth inning, marking a tough stretch for Skenes. Swanson’s home run was particularly notable as it came on an 0-2 count, a situation where Skenes had previously struggled. Tucker and Suzuki then hit back-to-back home runs, adding to Skenes’ difficulties.
After five innings, Skenes left the game having allowed three runs on five hits and four walks, with only two strikeouts to his name.
Prior to this game, Skenes had only given up multiple home runs in a single game once before, against the Los Angeles Dodgers last June. It was surprising as he had only allowed one home run in his first 37 ⅔ innings of the season. At just 22 years old, Skenes had been performing well with a 2.06 ERA and impressive statistics in his previous outings.
Despite Skenes’ struggles, the Pirates were facing a tough season with a 12-19 record, placing them at the bottom of the NL Central division, six games behind the leading Cubs.
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