Paul Skenes shines, Pirates set club record by hitting seven home runs in 14-2 win over Mets

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes threw seven strong innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates tied a franchise record by hitting seven home runs in a 14-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.

Bryan Reynolds hit home runs from both sides of the batting crease, including a grand slam, and Rowdy Tellez hit a grand slam among his two home runs.

Skenes (5-0), a 22-year-old rookie, allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts, while his ERA rose slightly to 2.12.

The mustachioed right-hander has struck out seven or more batters in nine of his first 10 starts, the most ever by a pitcher in the first 10 games of a career. Skenes has thrown 74 pitches at least 100 mph this season, more than twice as many as anyone else in the major leagues.

But Skenes didn’t just beat the Mets with his heat. The last of his 107 pitches was an 87-mile-per-hour slider that missed Harrison Bader and brought only the second sellout crowd of the season to its feet at PNC Park as the 6-foot-6 top pick in the 2023 draft made his way to the team’s dugout.

Pittsburgh’s faltering offense offered a big buffer, as often seems to be the case when Skenes is in the starting lineup.

Reynolds had four of Pittsburgh’s 16 hits, a season-high. He hit a two-run homer from left against Luis Severino (5-3) in the fifth inning to give Pittsburgh the lead. He hit his grand slam – from right – against reliever Jake Diekman in the seventh inning.

Tellez hit his grand slam during a six-run eighth inning that ended with New York catcher/designated hitter Luis Torrens getting the final out, giving the Mets a club record for most home runs allowed in a game.

Michael A. Taylor had four hits, including a home run. Jack Suwinski and Yasmani Grandal also hit a home run for the Pirates, who have struggled to get going on offense for most of the season. That’s the main reason Pittsburgh is under .500 (42-45) despite a starting lineup that has the lowest ERA in the National League since June 1.

Jeff McNeil hit his fifth home run for New York. Pete Alonso added two more hits for the Mets, who have lost three straight games and five of seven while playing without closer Edwin Diaz. He will return Saturday from a 10-game suspension for having a banned substance on his throwing hand late last month.

Skenes was slow to start, but he struck out 11 of his last 12 batters, increasing his chances of making the National League All-Star team when pitchers and alternates are announced this weekend.

TRAINING ROOM

Mets: C Francisco Alvarez was hit in the left elbow by a 99 mph fastball from Skenes in the fourth inning. Alvarez was tended to by trainers for several minutes but remained in the game.

Pirates: RHP Jared Jones is out for at least two weeks with a strained right latissimus. … C Henry Davis (concussion) had no problems in his first minor league rehab appearance at Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday.

NEXT

The four-game series continues on Saturday. Left-hander David Peterson (3-0, 3.51 ERA) starts for New York. Bailey Falter (4-6, 3.87), who has only won one game in the last six weeks, gets the nod for the Pirates.

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