Paul Skenes gets a new catcher but still is not as sharp as the Pirates lose to Brewers

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug 5, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MILWAUKEE — The big Pittsburgh Pirates news of Wednesday came pregame. Marcell Ozuna was released. And when the lineup came out, Endy Rodriguez was catching Paul Skenes, not Henry Davis.

Manager Don Kelly said the decision was made to keep Rodriguez’s bat in the lineup. Wanting to keep options open, too, played into the choice to break up a partnership that had endured for 51 consecutive starts.

“We need to start to mix it up a little bit,” Kelly said, “and felt like tonight was a good night to do that.”

But if the decision was made in hopes to get Skenes on track, it didn’t have the intended effect. Skenes gutted through five innings, allowing three runs and walking four as the Pirates fell to the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2, on Wednesday night at American Family Field.

The loss dropped the Pirates to 57-59. It’s the first time the Pirates are multiple games under .500 since March 30, when they were 1-3.

Rodriguez did his part at the plate. He hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning off lefty DL Hall, the only offense the Pirates mustered.

The Pirates were otherwise dominated by left-hander Kyle Harrison. Harrison, in his first start off the injured list, struck out 10 Pirates in five innings and needed just 69 pitches to do so. He struck out the last eight Pirates in a row before leaving with cramping in both calves. He was expected to be on a 75-pitch limit anyways.

Harrison struck out 12 Pirates in six innings in April. In both starts, he allowed no runs on one hit and one walk.

Skenes (9-10) walked the first batter he faced on four pitches, but retired the next 10 in a row. He wasn’t particularly efficient, throwing 49 pitches in the first three innings, but kept the Brewers scoreless.

That changed in the fourth. After a strikeout, Skenes issued consecutive walks to Garrett Mitchell and William Contreras. Christian Yelich followed with an RBI double into the right-field corner on a 3-1 sweeper, then Andrew Vaughn scored both Contreras and Yelich with a broken-bat single to right.

Skenes walked Luis Lara, then got Cooper Pratt to ground into a much-needed, inning-ending double play. But Skenes needed 34 pitches to get through the frame. Even after a 10-pitch fifth, his day was done after five.

It was over when …

Skenes allowed the three-run fourth. With Harrison dominating and the Pirate offense scuffling, it was a day where even a three-run lead felt large.

On the mound

There were some differences with Rodriguez, instead of Davis, catching Skenes. For one, Skenes threw far more sliders than usual, 26% to the typical 7%. Skenes also threw his changeup just five percent of the time, down from 14%. He threw just two splinkers.

Skenes also had a fastball clocked at 99 mph, although his velocity was otherwise in line with his typical numbers.

Lake Bachar made his Pirates debut in relief of Skenes and threw two innings, allowing a run on two hits and a walk. He also had two strikeouts. He allowed a long homer to Contreras, but got out of a jam in the sixth before a 1-2-3 seventh.

At the plate

The Pirates combined for 13 strikeouts, including nine in a row against Harrison and Chad Patrick.

Esmerlyn Valdez had struck out in six consecutive at-bats before drawing a walk in the seventh, then struck out again in the ninth to end the game. On his first strikeout, he challenged a called third strike that was well inside the zone.

Ronny Simon, who was selected in the spot vacated by Ozuna, walked and grounded out.

Bucs bites

— Before the game, the Pirates activated left-hander Evan Sisk (left elbow inflammation) from his rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned right-hander Wilber Dotel.

The Pirates also activated right-hander Chris Devenski (undisclosed illness) from his rehab assignment and outrighted him to Indianapolis. Devenski is no longer on the 40-man roster.

— Ben Cherington spoke to traveling reporters pregame and offered no update on Oneil Cruz, other than saying he’s “hopeful that he's on track.” Asked about a specific timeline, he only said Cruz is “getting closer.”

Up next

The Pirates will play for a series split on Thursday at 2:10 p.m. ET. Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (11-4, 3.96 ERA) will start opposite right-hander Dustin May (5-7, 4.38), who will be making his Brewers debut.

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