Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes addressed questions about his velocity drop and first-half performance during the MLB All-Star Game. He said he remains confident and is not concerned about the decline from 98.8 mph as a rookie to 96.6 mph this season.
Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, called his first half weird and interesting. His ERA stands at 3.57, which is 0.86 above his expected mark, though other metrics like expected batting average against and strikeout rate remain close to career norms.
He defended the performance of his four-seamer, noting opponents are hitting .195 against it. Skenes said velocity is not something he needs to pitch well and stressed he is healthy.
Skenes gave himself a B grade for the first half and praised pitching coach Bill Murphy. He noted recent adjustments after allowing eight runs in four innings on July 1 in Philadelphia, including increased fastball usage in his last two starts.
Skenes expressed confidence in the Pirates heading into the second half, saying the team is in a good spot.
