Pirates' Paul Skenes could get back into the Cy Young conversation against one of his easier foes

Pirates' Paul Skenes could get back into the Cy Young conversation against one of his easier foes originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Pirates ace has had a bit of a difficult start to the season, with a 3-1 record and an unusual ERA of 3.27. Following his opening day debacle against the currently-struggling New York Mets, he has started to get back to his Cy Young-winning self.

But, he has not gotten back into that conversation yet, as the National League has seen some new blood enter their names for the prestigious title. For instance, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is doing it all and then some. He has an ERA of just .038 in 24 innings of work. Additionally, Philadelphia Phillies Christopher Sanchez is standing out on an abysmal pitching staff.

For Skenes, he has the Milwaukee Brewers up next, and he is in for some luck. His record against the Brew crew is not all that bad, and in fact, this lineup that he is facing is among some of the easier ones he has faced. According to Baseball Savant, the opposing lineup has a lowly .163 batting average in 43 plate appearances against the right-hander.

Should the Pirates and Skenes have themselves a great day, the Cy Young conversation for the back-to-back winner is back on. There is still a lot of season left, and Ohtani could start to slide, and Sanchez's luck could run out. Skenes has proven time and time again to be a dependable arm, and for the first time in his career, he has a serious batting order behind him to back him up.