Pirates Shutout Snakes Again as Paul Skenes Shoves, Strikes Out Nine

PITTSBURGH— The Pirates defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-0 on Sunday, July 27, giving Paul Skenes ever-elusive run support on the way to his sixth win of the season.

Skenes allowed three hits, all of them for extra bases, but managed to freeze four separate runners in scoring position to keep Arizona off the board.

Oneil Cruz put the Pirates (44-62) in front in the second inning, drawing a leadoff walk before scoring from first on a Tommy Pham single. Diamondbacks center fielder Alek Thomas had to move to his right to retrieve the ball, but second baseman Ketel Marte didn’t even manage to get a relay throw off as Cruz raced around third.

Pittsburgh added two more runs in the third, with Bryan Reynolds plating an RBI double before scoring on another single from Cruz. The 6-foot-7 outfield phenom continued to punish the Snakes in the sixth inning, doubling down the right field line to score Reynolds from first.

Nick Gonzales singled home two runs in the eighth to give the Pirates more insurance, then Carmen Mlodzinski struck out the side to send the Diamondbacks packing.

Key Moment

Star of the Game

Paul Skenes, who managed to strike out nine batters across six innings. Although he faced a runner in scoring position with one or no outs in two separate innings, Skenes managed to navigate through traffic and keep the Diamondbacks off the board.

Notable Pirates Performances

• Paul Skenes: 6 IP, 9 K’s, 99 pitches, 0 ER
• Oneil Cruz: 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and an RBI
• Bryan Reynolds: 1-for-3 with a double, a HBP, an RBI and two runs scored

Stat to Know

Pirates pitchers have allowed just two runs (one earned) in their last 39 innings of work.

Noteworthy

• General Manager Ben Cherington spoke with the media about the upcoming trade deadline before Sunday’s game, even discussing the future of top trade candidates like Mitch Keller and David Bednar.
• Skenes hasn’t allowed a first inning run in any of his 22 starts in 2025.
• The Pirates allowed just one run (and no earned runs) to the Diamondbacks in the three-game series, an 11th inning run in a 1-0 loss on July 25.
• This marks Pittsburgh’s 13th shutout of the season, putting them in sole position of second place behind San Diego (14).

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