In his second major-league start, Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes provided the dominant performance fans expected in his debut last week. Behind the rookie's effort, the Pirates easily beat the Chicago Cubs on Friday, 9–3.
Skenes wasn't fazed about facing the Cubs for the second consecutive outing, this time at Wrigley Field. The right-hander struck out the first seven batters he faced, repeatedly overpowering hitters with 100 mph four-seam fastballs while confounding them with sliders and sinkers.
"I felt like we could call pretty much anything we wanted," said Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Andrew Destin.