Skenes' Nightmare Start: Pirates' Early Season Struggle

0:00It's March 26th. I'm Corey with The Story, and this is MLB News Today, your AI-powered baseball briefing. Paul Schienes, the national league-size young winner, had a nightmare start on opening day for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the New York Mets. The Pirates jumped ahead to nothing thanks to a two-run homer, but Schienes couldn't hold in. He gave up five runs on four hits, two walks, and hit a batter, throwing 37 pitches for just two outs before getting yanked. The trouble started right away with the walk to Francisco Lendor, followed by a single from Juan Soto. Boba Schett then drove in a run, with a sacrifice fly, and things snowballed from there. The Mets loaded the bases and took the lead on a bases clearing triple by Brett Beatty, then added another run on Marcus Semiens Double. Fans and analysts were stunned by the meltdown, calling it shocking for a pitcher known as an Ace. Schienes got two strikes on five of the nine batters he faced, but only fanned one, highlighting his struggle to close out hitters. The Pirates trailed five to two after the first, putting early pressure on their bullpen.

1:04This marked the shortest outing of Schienes' career, worse than any of his 55 previous starts. He'd only allowed five runs once before, and rarely gave up more than three. His ERA ballooned to 67.50 right out of the gate. The Pirates will look to bounce back as the season unfolds, but Schienes faces a quick reset after this unexpected hiccup.