Skid snapped: Skenes K's 6 as Pirates down Mariners

PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes set a career high in walks in his start on Friday against the Mariners at PNC Park. The offense began the game by striking out four times in a row and recording only one baserunner the first time through.

Things were not exactly picture perfect, but to get out of a funk like the Pirates have been mired in over the past two weeks, it takes everything you have. And at long last, Pittsburgh snapped its 10-game losing streak by taking a 5-3 decision over Seattle in the series opener.

The Pirates stayed in the game early despite the offense scuffling to begin vs. Logan Gilbert because of Skenes’ ability to grind through some issues with location. It’s hard to believe a pitcher can “grind through” a quality start, but by Skenes’ standard, things were a little out of sorts on Friday -- though never to the point of getting out of hand.

The rookie ace walked four batters, including one that came around on a two-run homer by Luke Raley in the fourth inning. Some of his biggest command struggles came with his usually reliable splinker early, including all of his first four landing well wide of the zone in the second inning. But that pitch, on top of his fastball, dictates how his other pitches play. He couldn’t turn away from it.

“Everything else kind of plays off that,” Skenes said. “It wasn’t like I had no idea where it was going. I was just missing. I don’t know if it looks that way, but I knew I was close. Basically just had to keep throwing it to get it back.”

Skenes was able to make it to the sixth, when he lost a seven-pitch battle to Raley with one out. With lefty Dominic Canzone due up and lefty reliever Jalen Beeks warming up for the Pirates, manager Derek Shelton had a decision to make: go for the left-on-left matchup or stick with his ace despite the command issues.

Shelton chose the latter, and on one pitch, Skenes got Canzone to roll over into an inning-ending double play. There was never a doubt in Shelton’s mind.

“I think all of us get enamored with how good he is and then he has a start like this where his delivery is not in sync and he walks and everybody thinks it’s Armageddon,” Shelton said. “He’s a Major League pitcher that is dealing with things, and we saw a Major League pitcher deal with something today and still give us a chance to win, which I give him credit for.”

Skenes gave a lot of praise to backstop Yasmani Grandal, who helped him navigate through the inconsistency without the need for a shake-off. The offense can give Grandal a ton of praise, too.

Andrew McCutchen’s sacrifice fly in the fifth plated the go-ahead run. Oneil Cruz’s two-run double was the game-winning knock. But Grandal’s first-pitch game-tying homer to right field in the fifth inning, emphasized by a dramatic bat flip, was the catalyst the team needed after going down by two runs.

Despite the Pirates’ recent struggles, Grandal has only begun to get hotter at the plate. After beginning the season hitting .171 with two homers in his first 39 games as a Pirate, Grandal is hitting .283 with three homers over his past 15 contests. Shelton said Grandal’s at-bats over the past month have been some of his best and an indicator that he can still play at a high level.

“You look back over the course of his career -- this guy has been a really elite hitter, and he’s still really smart,” Shelton said. “His body may not be able to do certain things that he was able to do three or four years ago, but I think we saw that in the second at-bat on the homer: He sat on a pitch, he got it, he didn’t miss it.”

The Pirates’ 10-game losing streak was tied for their longest since 2010, when they lost 12 straight. Half of them were games lost by one run. They’re now seven games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. Things may be down and the odds may be long, but the Bucs are beyond glad to end it and focus on starting a different kind of streak.

“It feels good. Definitely doesn’t feel good that we had the streak in the first place,” Skenes said. “It’s nice to do it at home and get it out of the way. Hopefully, we can put it behind us.”