Paul Skenes gets lit up — and out-dueled by Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski
Paul Skenes may have met his match.
The 23-year-old All-Star faced off against the Brewers Wednesday and, in a rare occurrence, was outdueled by the opposition's starting pitcher: fellow 23-year-old Jacob Misiorowski.
4 Jacob Misiorowski after striking out Pirates' Oneil Cruz.
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4 Paul Skenes during his tough second inning.
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Skenes walked his first batter of the day at American Family Field in Milwaukee before quickly settling in and striking out two of the next three batters — then he got lit up in the second inning.
He walked the first batter he faced yet again, which quickly turned into a string of hits and four runs for the Brewers.
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Meanwhile, the 6-foot-7 flamethrowing Misiorowski hadn't allowed a hit and had struck out three batters through two.
The four-spot given up by Skenes in the second inning wound up being the difference in Pittsburgh's 4-2 loss. The four earned runs were tied for the second-most of his career in a start.
4 Paul Skenes has been one of the league's top pitchers since he began his career last season.
Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Skenes tossed just four innings, which is the fewest of any of his starts this season.
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The four innings also mark the second-fewest thrown in a start in his entire career, only behind his final start of his rookie season, where he pitched two perfect innings against the Yankees and was pulled prematurely in what was a meaningless game for the already-eliminated Pirates.
Misiorowski, however, continued his strong MLB start since being called up from Triple-A in early June.
He pitched five innings, allowed just two hits, two walks and racked up eight strikeouts. The scoreless outing brought his ERA through three career starts down to 1.13.
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While Skenes is known for his top-notch velocity, Misiorowski was the one throwing more heat, as he topped out at 102.4 miles per hour with his fastball against Pittsburgh and threw 19 of the game's 20 fastest pitches.
4 Misiorowski is 3-0 through his first three career starts.
Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
It was just his third start, but Misiorowski already went toe to toe with one of the game's best.
If all goes according to plan for Milwaukee's top pitching prospect, MLB could have some classic pitching duels between the two NL Central foes for years to come.
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