Paul Skenes’ struggles are starting to become a real worry as velocity dips

Nypost · Aug 06, 2026 · 414 words · By Collin Ward

Statistical Analysis Athletic Performance Decline

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What to know about Statistical Analysis

Coming off his worst month as a major leaguer, Skenes showed slight progress in his first August start on Wednesday.

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Coming off his worst month as a major leaguer, Skenes showed slight progress in his first August start on Wednesday.

Why it matters

Skenes allowed three runs on two hits and four walks against six strikeouts, though it wasn’t enough in a 4-2 loss to the Brewers tin Milwaukee.

Common ground

July was a slog for Skenes, posting a 6.25 ERA over six starts, and the last one was the worst of his career: Seven earned runs in four innings on the 31st.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Statistical Analysis story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that July was a slog for Skenes, posting a 6.25 ERA over six starts?
How does this story connect Statistical Analysis with Athletic Performance Decline over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/06/sports/paul-skenes-struggles-are-starting-to-becom…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule Pending 1

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Claim 1: “July was a slog for Skenes, posting a 6.25 ERA over six starts”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Yahoo Sports and two other web search results) explicitly state that Skenes posted a 6.25 ERA over six starts in July.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jacob Walter Misiorowski ( miz-ə-ROW-skee; born April 3, 2002), nicknamed "the Miz", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Misiorowski

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paul David Skenes (, born May 29, 2002) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024. Skenes played college bas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Skenes

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tarik Daniel Skubal (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Ti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarik_Skubal

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “Skenes’ ERA in the month of April was 1.89”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results about Paul the Apostle and a 2011 film. No baseball-related data for April ERA was found.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 3: “According to Fangraphs, hitters are also on time on Skenes’ pitches 45-percent of the time this season, compared to 39% last season.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding Fangraphs' 'on time' percentage for hitters.

info

Claim 4: “He also hasn’t thrown a single pitch over 100 mph this season after throwing over 100 of them a season ago.”

SINGLE SOURCE

A YouTube transcript mentions he hasn't thrown a pitch 100 mph this year, but there is no second independent news source corroborating the exact count of 'over 100' such pitches in the previous season.

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web search NEUTRAL — The 65 pitches thrown represent the third fewest Skenes has delivered in an outing this season.Instead, it foreshadowed the modern pitching experience. “In that time, there weren’t that many (who coul…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7517692/2026/08/17/mlb-velo…

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web search NEUTRAL — Skenes hasn't thrown a single pitch 100 mph this year.Краткий пересказ чата Автоматически создан экспериментальным ИИ • Качество может варьироваться Viewers in the chat are saying they are frustrated …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCmsVQspHYI

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web search NEUTRAL — That said, Skenes and the Pirates' pitching apparatus deserve some criticism for what has transpired this season. Barring a late-season heater, this Buccos season will go down as one of the most disap…
https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/what-is-wrong-with-paul…

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Claim 5: “the Pirates’ defense has been below average once again this year, holding a minus-12 record in outs above average and ranking sixth-worst in MLB at turning batted balls into outs.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 6: “After April, his ERA came to a still solid 2.87 in May, then 3.58 in June, before a horrid 6.25 in July, where he allowed 22 earned runs in six starts.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the July ERA (6.25) is corroborated, the specific ERA numbers for May (2.87) and June (3.58) are not found in the provided evidence. Only the July portion is corroborated; the rest is not.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Skenes’ fastball is averaging 97 mph this season, down from 98.2 in 2025 and 98.8 in his rookie season.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the velocity trend: current average around 97 mph (96.8-96.9), down from 98.2 last season and 98.8 in his rookie season.

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web search NEUTRAL — The most obvious change is that Skenes is not throwing as hard as he did his first two seasons, when his fastball averaged a blistering 98.8 mph as a rookie in 2025, and 98.2 mph last season. His velo…
https://www.mlb.com/news/paul-skenes-2026-metrics-comparison…

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web search NEUTRAL — Paul Skenes - 2026 Frequency of Pitches by Pitch Speed 4-Seam Fastball Changeup Curveball Sinker Slider Split-Finger Sweeper All Pitches 80 MPH 85 MPH 90 MPH 95 MPH 100 MPH Pitch Speed 0% 5% 10% 15% 2…
https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/paul-skenes-694…

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web search NEUTRAL — His prolonged struggles have been marked by an uncharacteristic dip in velocity; Skenes' average fastball velocity this season is 96.8 mph, down from 98.1 mph last season and 98.8 mph in 2024.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49590096/paul-skenes-exi…

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Claim 8: “prior to Wednesday night’s start, Skenes hadn’t thrown a pitch over 98 mph in five starts, according to Codify Baseball.”

CORROBORATED

Both Yahoo Sports and another source explicitly attribute the claim to Codify Baseball, stating Skenes hadn't topped 98 mph in five starts prior to the Wednesday game.

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web search NEUTRAL — Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws in the first inning of a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.In fact, prior to Wednesday night’s start, Skenes hadn’t thrown a pitch over 98 mph i…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/06/sports/paul-skenes-struggles-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Codify Baseball noted a clear drop in Skenes' top pitch velocity over the course of his 23 starts this season. In five of Skenes' past six starts, he's failed to top 98 mph, per Codify Baseball.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/pirates/2026/07/31…

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web search NEUTRAL — Paul Skenes has allowed five earned runs in back-to-back starts for the first time in his career as he lasted just four innings in Cincinnati tonight. This during a month that began with the worst sta…
https://firstsportz.com/ex-nfl-star-question-paul-skenes-slu…

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Claim 9: “Skenes allowed three runs on two hits and four walks against six strikeouts, though it wasn’t enough in a 4-2 loss to the Brewers tin Milwaukee.”

CORROBORATED

The specific stats (3 runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts) and the outcome (4-2 loss to Brewers in Milwaukee) are explicitly confirmed by Yahoo Sports and implied/supported by other reports of the game.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Milwaukee Brewers season is the 57th season for the Brewers in Milwaukee, their 29th in the National League, and their 58th overall.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Milwaukee_Brewers_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 10: “After ranking in the 100th and 98th percentiles for Skene’s off-speed pitch quality and run value ranked in the 100th and 98th percentiles respectively, last season, they have dropped immensely to the 17th percentile in 2026.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found regarding off-speed pitch quality percentiles.

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Claim 11: “the last one was the worst of his career: Seven earned runs in four innings on the 31st.”

CORROBORATED

Yahoo Sports and another sports news source confirm that on July 31st, Skenes had the worst outing of his career, allowing seven earned runs in four innings.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paul Mactire, also known as Paul MacTyre, and Paul M'Tyre, was a 14th-century Scotsman who lived in the north of Scotland. He appears in several contemporary records, as well as in a 15th-century gene…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mactire

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.