Blue Jays unfazed by Paul Skenes' resume, tagging Pirates' ace for career-worst nine hits

Ever since he bust onto the scene in 2024, Paul Skene's has been making hitters look silly. The 23-year-old right hander had posted ERA's under 2.00 in his first two season's and had a 2.06 ERA entering Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays (May 23). He also had held opposition batters to a batting average against under .200, while his WHIP has never eclipsed 1.00.

But none of that seemed to matter to the Blue Jays as they tagged Skenes for a career-high nine hits in a 5-2 . Prior to Saturday he had never allowed more than seven. He also managed to only strikeout two Toronto hitters, making the Blue Jays only the third team ever to strikeout two times or less against Skenes.

One of those was the Chicago Cubs on May 5, 2025 in a game in which Skenes pitched into the fifth. The other was the New York Mets on March 26, 2026, they struck out just once in a game in which Skenes lasted just 0.2 innings, allowing five runs on four hits.

What the Blue Jays did against one of the premier arms in MLB today was as impressive as it was unexpected. However, the Blue Jays have spent the better part of the last week facing elite arms and it seems like they are just getting used to it.

Blue Jays capitalizing against the leagues top arms

The Blue Jays are currently riding a four-game winning streak and they've done it by getting just enough offence against some of the best arms in the game. It started on Wednesday when they took on Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees, who owns the best fWAR among pitchers this season at 2.7. They managed to get eight hits off of him, and while they only cashed in two runs, it was all they needed thanks to Trey Yesavage and the bullpen silencing the Yankees' hitters.

It was a similar story the next night in the Bronx, when Carlos Rodón toed the rubber for the Yankees. Rodon also managed to strike out seven hitters, and only gave up three hits, while walking three and allowing one earned run, but the Blue Jays pitched through a bullpen game to keep the Yankees off the board for nine innings in a two 2-0 shutout.

On Friday, Bubba Chandler carved up the Toronto lineup for 11 strikeouts, but the Blue Jays used two hits and three walks to score three runs off the flame-throwing, but erratic Chandler, and then managed three more runs off the Pirates' bullpen for a 6-2 victory.

The Blue Jays then finally got to a starting pitcher in convincing fashion, getting those nine hits in five innings off Skenes, that resulted in four runs scored. George Springer got things started early, hitting a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first, just three pitches into the game.

But perhaps that gauntlet of fearsome fireballers over the previous three days better prepared the Blue Jays better for Skenes. It wasn't just Springer who managed to have a good day at the plate against the Pirates' ace. Springer did have a home run and a double, but rookie Yohendrick Piñango had a pair of hits (a double and a single), Jesús Sánchez had two doubles with an RBI, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement had timely hits in the sixth that knocked Skenes from the game.

The Blue Jays are still tow games under .500 with the win, but after picking up four straight wins against four stud pitchers, they are looking much more like the team that won the American League pennant in 2025.

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