Paul Skenes delivers honest response on Pirates’ lack of run support after strong outings

Paul Skenes produced another brilliant outing for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday afternoon against the Houston Astros. However, like several times throughout his young MLB career, his team couldn't push the game over the line, all thanks to an abysmal offense. Always the team player, Skenes still expressed his belief that the team will unlock its full potential.

The 26-year-old incurred his sixth loss of the year after giving up just one run on three base hits with one walk and eight strikeouts as Pittsburgh fell to Houston, 3-0.

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Kevin Gorman, the NL Rookie of the Year shared his thoughts about the lack of run support he receives.

"I wish I had the answer for it. We've just got to score one more run than them. I don't really know," said Skenes.

“Unfortunately, it’s baseball. I don’t know. I don’t watch the offense a ton. In terms of process and sticking within our plan — I’m not the right guy to ask. But it just goes back to controlling what we can control. It is what it is.”

The Pirates' ace currently holds an impressive 2.05 ERA with 85 strikeouts across 13 contests. Skenes also leads the NL in WHIP with 0.88 and batting average against opposition batters at .181.

The team's atrocious offense can be highlighted, especially during Skenes' starts, as it has been shut out thrice in its ace's 13 starts this year. In addition, the squad is also in the bottom five of the majors when it comes to counting stats and batting averages.

At the time of writing, the Pirates are tied with the 11-50 Colorado Rockies with the fewest runs scored this season at 194 in 61 games.

Pirates spoil another scintillating Paul Skenes performance

Pittsburgh has once again thrown a brilliant Paul Skenes outing to the dumpsters after being beaten by the Astros on Tuesday afternoon. Skenes had a one-run outing with eight punch-outs in eight innings, with his sole run issued being through Christian Walker's solo shot in the seventh.

What should have been a wake-up call for the Pirates turned to disaster as reliever Dennis Santana gave up two further runs in the final frame, as Houston's Isaac Paredes recorded his 12th home run of the year via a two-run bomb to left field.

With the victory, the Astros finally reclaimed the top spot in the AL West with a 33-27 record. The Pirates, meanwhile, remain at the bottom of the NL Central at 22-39 — 16.5 games behind the top spot in the division.