Paul Skenes had to be almost perfect last year for the Pirates to have a chance. Times have changed

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes spent last season pitching on a razor's edge, aware that one mistake could tilt the balance of a game, no matter how masterful the Pittsburgh Pirates ace might be. Not anymore. The offense that struggled to score whenever Skenes took the hill in 2025 — the main reason he had a 10-10 record alongside the 1.97 ERA that won him the National League Cy Young Award — has been transformed, both in personnel and in production, in 2026. It reached the point during a 16-5 victory over Washington on Monday night that Skenes was sort of hoping the Pirates would stop hitting during a 10-run sixth, if only so he could get back to work. No such luck. By the time the inning was over, 14 batters had come to the plate, the Nationals had switched pitchers twice, and the clock for Skenes (3-1) to return to the mound had run out after six innings of brilliance. “It just took forever, which is what you want,” Skenes said. “I feel like that inning everybody (was) just pulling the rope and passing it off to the next guy. It was cool to watch.” A year ago, the worst offense in the majors produced three runs or fewer 18 times in Skenes' 32 starts. The 23-year-old challenged the organization to get serious about winning in 2026, and the normally stingy Pirates made a series of aggressive moves intended to upgrade their lineup and help arguably the best young pitching staff in the majors. The early returns are promising. Pittsburgh, which was last in runs, home runs and RBIs in 2025, is in the top 10 in all three categories. On Monday night, second baseman Brandon Lowe — acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in December — became the first player in franchise history to have back-to-back five-RBI games when he hit a two-run single in the second and added a three-run homer to cap off Pittsburgh's first 10-run inning at PNC Park in nearly 17 years. Lowe, a two-time All-Star with the Rays, has six home runs. First baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn, signed to a two-year deal in free agency, has 13 RBIs. Outfielder/designated hitter Bryan Reynolds, surrounded by the deepest lineup of his seven-year tenure in Pittsburgh, is thriving. Perhaps the biggest sign of hope is the performance of Oneil Cruz, the Pirates' talented but inconsistent center fielder. The 6-foot-7 Cruz extended his hitting streak to 12 games by going 2 for 3 with three RBIs, one of them coming on a 114 mph rope off the fence in right field. “It’s pretty fun to hit after a guy hits a ball (that hard),” Lowe said. “Gets the crowd a little loud. To watch his at-bats, to see the maturity that he has with the power and everything else he has going for him, he’s going to be a lot of fun to hit behind this year.” And the Pirates could be dangerous for the first time in a long time. Skenes is already seeing the difference. Pittsburgh has scored 38 runs across his first four starts in 2026 after needing 11 starts to hit that total in 2025. “I told the guys after the game it makes it easy to pitch,” Skenes said. It also lets him take chances and evolve. He became the fifth-fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 400 strikeouts when he fanned Luis Garcia Jr. just two batters into his 59th start. Save for a 100 mph heater that Washington's C.J. Abrams sent into the seats over the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right in the first, Skenes was nearly perfect as he mixed his fastball with reliable offspeed stuff. “I mean we might go out next outing and only throw changeups,” Skenes said, joking he might throw “100 in a row” when he makes his next start on Saturday against the Rays. Probably not. But having another pitch he can trust is hardly a bad thing. Neither is the freedom that comes with knowing he doesn't have to be flawless for the Pirates to have a shot. The victory over the Nationals came just over 24 hours after Pittsburgh allowed the host Chicago Cubs to rally and avoid a sweep. The Pirates responded with their best offensive performance of the season and offered a glimpse of the resilience it will take if they want to get to where they want to go. “I’ve seen it now for a couple years with the Brewers, the Cubs, the Reds last year made the playoffs,” Skenes said. "That’s what NL Central teams do really well, and so now we’re doing that. It’s really fun to watch.” \\\\ AP MLB: