Paul Skenes struggles in Pirates' loss to Reds

Paul Skenes had a difficult outing on July 31, giving up five runs in four innings against the Cincinnati Reds, leading to an 8-7 defeat for the Pittsburgh Pirates. This marks Skenes' second consecutive start allowing five earned runs. His ERA has increased to 3.90, a drop from earlier this season when he kept it below 3.10. Skenes mentioned struggling to find his delivery and acknowledged issues with falling behind in counts and allowing unwanted contact. Codify Baseball noted a decline in his pitch velocity, with fewer fastballs above 98 mph recently. Skenes expressed optimism, stating he believes he can find solutions going forward.

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