Skenes (1-0) earned the win over the Cubs on Friday, issuing just one walk while striking out 11 over six hitless, scoreless innings.
Skenes was lights out in his second big-league start -- he struck out the first seven batters he faced while holding the Cubs without a baserunner until Michael Busch's one-out walk in the fifth inning. Skenes has been as advertised to start his career, averaging 99.3 MPH with his fastball Friday and generating a 44 percent whiff rate with the pitch. The 21-year-old right-hander has allowed three runs through his first 10 innings while striking out 18. Skenes will look to keep rolling in his next outing, which tentatively lines up as a home matchup with the Giants.
Skenes came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 10-9 win over the Cubs, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out seven.
The 21-year-old right-hander displayed some nerves in his big-league debut, throwing only 54 of 84 pitches for strikes, but he flashed his upside right out of the gate by hitting triple digits on the radar gun on his first two career pitches and reaching 100 mph on five fastballs in total against the first batter he faced, eventually striking out Chicago leadoff man Mike Tauchman on a 100.9 mph four-seamer. Skenes isn't heading back to the minors any time soon, and his next start should come on the road next week in a rematch with the Cubs.
Skenes' contract was purchased from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of his big-league debut Saturday against the Cubs.
Skenes is the best pitching prospect to come along in over a decade, and his big-league debut is as highly anticipated as any pitching prospect's debut in recent memory. The big 6-foot-6 righty not only had the best statistical performance of any starter in the minors this year, but he has the best pure stuff as well. Skenes logged a 0.99 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, a 42.9 percent strikeout rate and a 7.6 percent walk rate in 27.1 innings at Triple-A. He has averaged just under five innings per start over his last three starts, but after throwing 129.1 innings in 2023, he should be able to push toward 160 total innings this year with good health.
