Paul Skenes is headed back to Coors Field with a fresh reminder of how sharp he can be against the Colorado Rockies. On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander is scheduled to start there after shutting Colorado down for eight innings on May 12, when he allowed two hits, no runs and no walks while striking out 10.
That May 12 outing was as clean as it gets. Skenes struck out the side in each of the first two innings and retired the first 14 batters he faced before hitting Troy Johnston with a pitch. Johnston was later caught stealing, and the Rockies did not put together much until Mickey Moniak singled and Johnston doubled in the final two innings. The result lowered Skenes' ERA to 1.98 and only deepened the sense that he can overpower Colorado when everything is working.
That is why the matchup is getting attention now. Skenes has already shown he can silence the Rockies, and the next test comes in a park that has not always been kind to pitchers. Coors Field is different, with extra space for mistakes and less room for a fastball that does not quite get where it needs to go. Skenes has only one previous start there, on Aug. 2 of last year, and it was far less efficient than the May outing in Pittsburgh.
In that start, he gave up five hits and four earned runs in five innings, striking out eight and walking two. Jordan Beck singled with one out in the fourth, Warming Bernabel doubled after him, and Beck later hit his 13th home run of the season in the sixth. Ezequiel Tovar also walked in that inning, and after Bernabel added another double, the Pirates pulled Skenes with Colorado having cut into the lead and the game sitting at 4-3.
That contrast is the whole story: Skenes has already solved the Rockies once, but his only previous trip to Coors Field ended with the sort of damage that keeps pitchers honest. Saturday will not tell us whether he is the same arm everywhere, but it will show whether the version that dominated on May 12 can travel to one of the toughest places for a starter to make that dominance last.
