Inside Minor League Baseball: Time is near for Indy's Paul Skenes to get call to Pittsburgh (2024)

When are the Pittsburgh Pirates going to make the call? Paul Skenes, baseball’s top pitching prospect, gave up two runs to the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday – including his first home run as a pro – and it still only pushed his ERA with the Indianapolis Indians to 0.99.

The 6-foot-6 Skenes is just 21, was the MVP of last year’s College World Series and was made the No. 1 pick of draft by the Bucs. The right-hander already has been dominant for Indy, allowing 17 hits in 27⅓ innings while striking out 45 and walking eight.

Pirates fans need something to grab on to. Once 9-2, their team entered Monday at 16-19 and just a half-game out of the NL Central cellar. The Bucs are going very carefully with Skenes’ innings, as he’s thrown just under four per start. His outing previous to Sunday, also against the Bisons, was one of his best with six shutout innings of four-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk last Tuesday.

Skenes left that game with a 1-0 lead after outdueling Alek Manoah (one runs, two hits, 12 strikeouts in six innings) but the bullpen blew his lead in what was eventually a 4-3, 11-inning Indy victory. He got a no-decision as well on Sunday in an 8-3 victory that allowed the Indians to take the series from the Herd, 4-2.

Sunday’s game was his first on four days rest, another sign the Pirates are closing in on their call-up decision for a guy hyped as the next Steve Strasburg. But manager Derek Shelton said prior to Monday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels that there's no change in Skenes' status for now. His next start will be with Indy.

“The biggest thing is just the learning experience of it all,” Skenes told MLB.com about throwing on four days rest. “Doing the five-day is a little bit different, so just trying to figure out the routine of it and getting used to it.”

The home run was a shot to dead center in the fifth by Buffalo outfielder Will Robertson – who thought he had drawn a walk on a 3-1 pitch, only to see Skenes win a challenge to get the count full. Robertson then connected on the next pitch for a 421-foot shot.

Skenes’ fastball command and velocity wasn’t as sharp Sunday as they were against the Herd last Tuesday, when he threw 13 pitches at or above 100 mph and retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. That outing really had the buzz growing in Pittsburgh.

“All that is cool, but it’s just noise,” Skenes said. “I’ve got to get back to what I do well and just execute against the hitters because without that, everything else goes away.”

Bisons update

The Herd returns home Tuesday to start a seven-game series against the Worcester Red Sox in Sahlen Field. The teams play at 6:05 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and at 1:05 on Saturday and Sunday.

Wednesday’s action is a doubleheader starting at 5:05 to make up a snow postponement in Worcester from April 4, so the Bisons will be batting as the visiting team in the second game. Why not just make that game up when the Herd return to Polar Park July 30-Aug. 4? Because that’s during the second half, and you now have to make up postponements in the same half in which they occurred or they simply get wiped from the schedule.

Promotions include Dog Day on Tuesday, 80s Night/scout campout on Friday and National Eat What You Want Day on Saturday, with $5 off the buffet at Consumers Pub at the Park and $1 discounts on several concession items. Sunday is Mother’s Day, with a pregame Fanny Pack giveaway and postgame run the bases with moms and kids.

Guardians call up Manzardo

The Cleveland Guardians are calling up first baseman Kyle Manzardo from Columbus with outfielder and American League batting leader Steven Kwan going on the 10-day IL (hamstring). Manzardo, 23, is the team’s No. 2 prospect and is batting .303 with nine homers and 20 RBIs while carrying a 1.017 OPS. He’s expected to DH and share first base duties with Josh Naylor.

Manzardo went 10-for-25 with three home runs against the Bisons when they spent six games in Columbus last month. He was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from Tampa Bay for pitcher Aaron Civale.

Around the horn