How has Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes fared since his June matchup with Brewers' Jacob Misiorowski?
On June 25, before a sellout crowd (42,774) that surpassed even Opening Day, Misiorowski outdueled Skenes in the 4-2 win. Interest in Misiorowski had reached a ravenous peak after he allowed just one hit through his first two starts with the big-league team.
The Brewers scored all their runs in the second inning, capitalizing on some light contact by piling up a walk, a bloop double, three singles and a bad throw home that allowed one run to score on a fielder's choice.
He retired the final six men he faced, but the damage had been done, and he left after four innings.
Misiorowski navigated five shutout innings, and the Brewers were on the doorstep of an unforgettable summer run.
But how has Skenes done since? He stands in the way of the team continuing its 10-game winning streak and the promise of free George Webb burgers if the Brewers can beat him, before adding a win over Mitch Keller and the Pirates on Aug. 13.
Paul Skenes is still the heavy favorite to win Cy Young
Skenes has the overwhelming favored odds to win the Cy Young Award, at least according to BetMGM, and that's despite his 7-8 record.
Skenes, who has a 1.94 ERA in 144 innings and has struck out 162 batters while walking just 34, has -600 odds to win, followed by Phillies duo Zack Wheeler (plus-475) and Cristopher Sánchez (plus-750). Everyone else is a longshot. Wheeler momentarily had moved to the front of the pack in July.
The Brewers' Freddy Peralta (plus-15000) is tied for seventh on the list, and he'll be the pitcher opposing Skenes on Aug. 12.
It won't shock you that Paul Skenes been dynamite since facing Milwaukee, except for one start
Skenes has a 1.42 ERA in the seven games since facing Milwaukee, and that doesn't count his start in the All-Star Game. In five of those seven starts, Skenes didn't allow any earned runs.
He did allow two over five innings in a 2-1 loss to Minnesota, and he allowed four in Colorado against the Rockies, though pitching in Coors Field requires its own caveat. He has struck out an astonishing 52 batters in that window to just five walks, and that's in just 38 innings.
It's not that he's been unhittable; he has allowed 33 hits in the 38 innings, including nine doubles, a triple and two home runs. But he's still been great.
With the Coors start as the exception, he has allowed zero runs in three of his last four starts. Against Cincinnati on Aug. 7, he permitted nothing on seven hits and zero walks, with eight strikeouts over six innings.
There's one 'weakness' to Paul Skenes' game
There's one thing the Brewers can hang their hat on; Skenes seldom lasts beyond the sixth inning. He's gotten outs in the seventh or later in six of his 24 starts this year, and none of those starts have come since the Milwaukee outing. Four of his seven outings since have been five innings, and three are a complete six.
This at least partially explains how the Pirates have lost three of those seven starts and have just a 12-12 record in Skenes starts this year. The Pirates don't have a horrible bullpen, but they have the 17th-ranked ERA (despite their eight-ranked WHIP) this season.
Their bullpen ERA is 23rd since July 1 (4.75), and the club's WHIP is 18th.
The Brewers are 1-1 vs. Paul Skenes
Last year, Skenes pitched in Milwaukee on July 11 and was unhittable, striking out 11 with one walk over seven innings without allowing a hit. The Brewers ultimately broke up the no-hitter when Jake Bauers singled against Colin Holderman, but Milwaukee couldn't score depsite loading the bases in the eighth and fell, 1-0.
Is this the best winning stretch of winning in Brewers history?
At 10-0, we can safely say this matches the best 10-game streak in Brewers history. The team's longest winning streak is 13, set at the start of the 1987 campaign.
Is this the best 20-game stretch in Brewers history? No, the Brewers are 16-4 in their last 20 games, but the club went 18-2 in 2019 and 2011. The team technically went 19-1 over two seasons in 1986 and the start of 1987.
Is this the best 25-game stretch in Brewers history? No, the Brewers are 21-4 in their last 25 games, but the club went 22-3 in 2011 and 1986.
Is this the best 30-game stretch in Brewers history? Yes, confined to a single season, the Brewers' mark of 25-5 ties the team's 2011 run for best 30-game stretch. It requires a caveat, since the club went 26-4 from the end of 1986 to through the start of 1987.
Is this the best 40-game stretch in Brewers history? Yes, at 31-9, the Brewers have tied their best 40-game mark set in 2011 and 2018.
Is this the best 50-game stretch in Brewers history? Yes, at 38-12, it's two games better than the previous mark, set in 2019 and 2011.
Is this the best 60-game stretch in Brewers history? Yes, at 44-16, it's two games better than the previous best stretches in 2012, 2011 and 1983.
Is this the best 70-game stretch in Brewers history? Yes, at 51-19, it's three games better than the previous best stretches in 2021 and 2012.
Is this the best 80-game stretch in Brewers history? Yes, at 55-25, it's one game better than the previous best mark set in 2021. If we make it 81 games (equivalent to a half season), the mark of 55-26 ties an 81-game mark from 2021 and 2011.
Is this the best 100-game stretch in Brewers history? No, at 65-35, the Brewers are still three games back of the best 100-game stretch, achieved in 2021 (68-23 from May 22 to Sept. 12).
Special thanks to Stathead.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How has Paul Skenes fared since his matchup with Jacob Misiorowski?
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