Paul Skenes surrenders 1st homer as a pro, as Pirates top prospect starts on 4 days of rest

The Pittsburgh Pirates wanted to see top prospect Paul Skenes check off an important box in his development by having the 6-foot-6½-inch right-hander make his first start on four days of rest.

Skenes checked off another by surrendering the first home run of his professional career, as Buffalo’s Will Robertson hit a solo shot to center to lead off the fifth inning Sunday afternoon.

Skenes allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks with a season-low four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis. He threw strikes on 40 of his 66 pitches, topping triple digits with his four-seam fastball nine times while showing a full repertoire by mixing a slider, splinker, changeup and curveball.

It was a shorter outing than Skenes’ previous start, when he had seven strikeouts and one walk while giving up four hits in six innings against Buffalo on April 30, but it marked his third consecutive game of pitching into the fifth inning.

Two of Buffalo’s first three batters got hits off Skenes, as Spencer Horwitz led off with a single to center and scored on a single to left by Orelvis Martinez for a 1-0 lead.

Skenes followed a 20-pitch first inning by retiring the Bisons in order the next three innings, striking out Steward Berroa on an 88.1-mph changeup in the second and Rafael Lantigua on a 94.1-mph splinker in the third. Skenes walked Damian Palmegianni to start the fourth but got Brian Serven looking at a called third strike with a 95.1-mph splinker and got Luis De Los Santos to ground into a double play.

Robertson worked a full count against Skenes before driving a 97.9-mph four-seam fastball 421 feet over the center field fence to start the fifth. It was Skenes’ first homer allowed in 33 2/3 innings over 12 starts in the minors. After Skenes got Cam Eden to ground out to open the third, the Indians brought in reliever Ben Heller to replace him.