Pirates' Paul Skenes set to face Cubs again in 2nd MLB start

The similarities between Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes’ first and upcoming second MLB starts are obvious.

As was the case last Saturday in his big-league debut, he’ll face the Chicago Cubs, this time at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 2:20 p.m. Friday.

That means navigating a similar lineup to the one that scored three earned runs off him over four innings of work at PNC Park.

Granted, two of those runs came after Skenes exited and were part of a wacky fifth inning in which three Pirates relievers walked home six Chicago players.

Not to mention, Skenes’ first start was delayed for 2 hours, 20 minutes because of thunderstorms in Pittsburgh.

Mother Nature and one of the most bizarre innings of baseball by the Pirates in recent memory may have conspired to overshadow Skenes’ individual performance last week, but the tools that made him the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft were still visible.

From the top of the first inning onward, Skenes flashed his triple-digit fastball and sweeping slider.

The Cubs managed six hits and Skenes walked a pair while hitting one batter, but he recorded seven strikeouts in his first MLB action, throwing 54 of his 84 pitches for strikes.

Skenes was pleased with how his repertoire played last week but offered some self-criticism about his overall performance.

“Stuff was really good,” he said after his debut. “I think I just gotta get ahead of hitters more consistently, but I think that will come. … I just needed to get hitters out quicker.”

Friday’s game between the Pirates (20-25) and Cubs (25-20) will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh as well as MLB Network.