Pirates GM Not Concerned About Paul Skenes' Velocity Drop

Cole SheltonMon, Jun 29, 2026·1 min read

Pirates GM Not Concerned About Paul Skenes' Velocity Drop originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington isn’t worried about Paul Skenes and his sight velocity drop.

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Skenes’ velocity has dropped over the last couple of starts, but Cherington believes that’s normal. The Pirates GM, however, does believe Skenes would say something to them if he was feeling sore or injured, which hasn’t happened, so he will continue to start every fifth game.

“The most important thing is we aren’t getting anything from him that there is any physical issue,” Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan. "I think zooming out, my personal opinion is, this is fairly standard for starting pitchers over time, including elite ones. There are smaller stretches of time where there is some small regression that can be for any number of reasons and then three months later they feel different. It’s not uncommon.”

Skenes, meanwhile, hasn’t won a game in June since his rookie season in 2024. He also hasn’t recorded a win since May 12.

Despite that, the right-hander has still pitched well this season, as he’s 6-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 17 starts.

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However, if the Pirates are going to go on a run, they will need Skenes to be even more dominant than he has been as of late.

Skenes will make his next start on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies opposite Zack Wheeler.

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