Paul Skenes introduces new pitches in spring debut, as 4 homers lift Pirates past Orioles

SARASOTA, Fla. — The first start of spring training came later than Paul Skenes wanted and with more pitches than he preferred but with results that left the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander satisfied.

Skenes introduced two new fastballs to his pitch repertoire, using both his cutter and two-seamer a handful of times. He allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts over three innings in a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles in a Grapefruit League game Saturday before a sellout crowd of 7,593 at Ed Smith Stadium.

“I thought it was good, actually,” said Skenes, whose scheduled start Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies was rained out. “It’s kind of just what happens. Body speeds up when you get into games, which can make your misses smaller or bigger. I think there were both of those today. Just kind of one of those things where it’s not going to be perfect. You’ve just got to get out there in front of fans and get going.”

Pirates RHP Paul Skenes assesses his first start of spring training: 3IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K in 5-2 win over Orioles. He threw 33 of 54 pitches for strikes, introduced new cutter and two-seamer. pic.twitter.com/aAEoHj51Hb

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 1, 2025

It was a longer look for Skenes, who only pitched one inning in each of his two spring training starts last year because the Pirates were being protective of his pitch counts and methodical in managing his ramp-up to the regular season. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said before the game that he expected Skenes to throw multiple innings and concentrate on working the new offerings into his arsenal.

“We’re in a little different spot than we were last year,” Shelton said. “Last year, we were monitoring the volume, not only in spring training, but as we got into the season. This year, we know he’s a guy who is in our rotation, so I think you’ll see him work on the variety of pitches. You’ll probably see a fair bit of the cutter and, overall, just a nice opportunity to face a different uniform.”

Statcast numbers aren’t available at Ed Smith Stadium, but Skenes threw 33 of his 54 pitches for strikes and stranded five runners. Although that’s a high pitch count for someone whose stated goal is to become more efficient, Skenes was more concerned with getting a feel for his new pitches against another team and minimizing the damage.

“We’re going to throw it either way,” Skenes said. “If you come out of the game with 23 pitches, that means you were throwing it in the zone and you were getting outs with it. I wasn’t doing that super efficiently today. That’s kind of the one thing I’d say to that. That stuff will happen. Weak contact found holes and with some of those new pitches, it just kind of is what it is a little bit.”

The first two batters Skenes faced were All-Stars, and he used a changeup to strike out leadoff hitter Cedric Mullins. Adley Rutschman roped a single down the left-field line, advanced to second when Ryan O’Hearn drew a four-pitch walk and scored on a throwing error by second baseman Nick Solak for a 1-0 Orioles lead. Ramon Urias singled through short, and Ramon Laureano worked a full count before Skenes got him looking at a 99 mph four-seamer.

“The big thing is that the lineup is kind of irrelevant when you’re working on new stuff,” Skenes said. “And when you’re working on new stuff, you’re trying to figure out how it will affect each other. So, I’m focused on getting it in the zone and seeing where we’re at.”

After throwing 23 pitches (14 strikes) in the first inning, Skenes needed only 15 (nine strikes) to navigate the second. He got Nick Gordon swinging for a strikeout on a 99 mph four-seamer and allowed a pop single to shallow right to Luis Vazquez before getting groundouts by Dylan Beavers on a fielder’s choice on a bunt to third and Mullins on a chopper to second.

The Pirates sent Skenes out for the third, and he got Rutschman to hit a high fly to center. O’Hearn singled to left before Urias popped out in foul territory to catcher Joey Bart. Then Skenes struck out Laureano on a 98 mph heater to end his outing.

“Good to get down,” Skenes said. “My experience is, the challenge is going from three to four (innings). But, honestly, I was a bit surprised how easy it was to get outs for the third time.”

Pirates 2024 first-round pick Konnor Griffin hit his first home run of spring training — and as a pro — against the Baltimore Orioles but didn’t realize it until he reached second base. pic.twitter.com/3lrxWfVBBx

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 1, 2025

Notes: The Orioles started left-hander Cade Povich, who struck out six, allowed one hit and walked one in three scoreless innings. … The Pirates got a pair of solo home runs from Oneil Cruz and Solak in the fourth inning. … Konnor Griffin, the 18-year-old 2024 first-round pick, hit a 1-1 pitch off Orioles minor-league pitcher of the year Brandon Young in the ninth inning for his first pro homer. … Enmanuel Valdez added a two-run shot to cap the scoring. … Jared Jones is scheduled to start against Jackson Jobe when the Pirates host the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at LECOM Park.