The New York Mets are off to a hot start so far this season, but so is Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. The right-hander, whom the Mets (26-15) will face on Monday, is 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 48.2 innings pitched.
Skenes won the NL Rookie of the Year award last season after going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 23 starts. The 6-foot-6-inch, 260-pounder also had a 5.9 WAR.
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Skenes is already one of the best pitchers in baseball, and New York manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged the challenge before Monday’s game, via the team’s social media.
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30).Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
“Yeah, we know he’s really good. That’s a special arm,” he said. “Some of our guys saw him last year, and the prep is basically the same. You don’t wanna try to do too much. You know you’ve gotta bring your A game, just like every night at the big league level.”
“You’re facing good competition day in and day out, and today we’re facing one of the best pitchers in the league, in baseball,” he continued. “We’ll be ready to go.”
Skenes notched a 2.23 ERA in April, but sports a 4.09 mark so far in May. The 22-year-old allowed two runs on three hits in six innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last start on Tuesday.
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The Mets are 1.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies atop the NL East and 6.5 games ahead of the third-place Atlanta Braves. They’ll face the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium after this home series with the Pirates (14-27).
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