Paul Skenes Takes Loss Despite Solid Outing; Offense Not Too Lively

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes had a solid start but was outmatched by Ben Lively and the Cleveland Guardians in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 3-0 loss at PNC Park on Sunday.

How We Got There

Steven Kwan put the Guardians ahead 1-0 in the top of the third inning with an RBI single to right field.

The score remained the same until Kyle Manzardo hammered a home run that bounced into the Allegheny River against Skenes (2-2).

Kyle ambushing the first pitch really robbed us of Hammy calling a river run.

On a different note … dude.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/55oxpjxt3w

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 19, 2025

The Guardians (11-9) extended their lead by a run on Jose Ramírez hit a sac fly off Caleb Ferguson in the eighth. 

Guardians starter Ben Lively blanked the Pirates (8-14) on four hits with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings pitched. Lively and four Guardians’ relievers pitched in on the shutout. 

Enmanuel Valdez looked like he led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a triple but came off the bag and was tagged out. He walked off the field with assistant athletic trainer Tony Leo.

Key Moment

The Pirates loaded the bases with one in the sixth out but Guardians reliever Cade Smith got Tommy Pham to bounce into an inning-ending double play. 

Star of the Game

Lively (1-2) earned his first win of the season. It was the second time in his last three starts in which he did not allow a run.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Paul Skenes: 7.0 innings, six hits, two runs, one walk, four strikeouts, 103 pitches/68 strikes
• Oneil Cruz: 1 for 3, one walk, one walk, one steal

Stat to Know

Oneil Cruz stole second base in the third, making it 30-straight successful stolen base attempts dating back to last year. He’s one of three Pirates since 1922 to have a streak of 30-plus along with Max Carey (37-straight, 1922-23) and Tony Womack (32-straight, 1997).

Noteworthy

• The Pirates went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
• The Pirates recalled RHP David Bednar from Triple-A Indianapolis. Bednar threw a scoreless ninth inning and struck out two. LHP Tim Mayza was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder lat muscle strain.
• RHP Colin Holderman will start a rehab assignment with Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Up Next

The Pirates and Guardians will wrap up their weekend series on Easter Sunday. RHP Mitch Keller (1-2, 4.30 ERA) will start for Pittsburgh opposite LHP Logan Allen (1-1, 2.30 ERA). First pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET.