After cruising to All-Star starter status after only 11 career starts, Paul Skenes has found his first choppy water as a major league pitcher.
Once considered a threat to win National League Cy Young honors, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ star rookie is suddenly not even the favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors at some sportsbooks. That includes FanDuel, where Skenes (+100) has been passed by another rookie All-Star.
San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill is now the -130 favorite to take home ROY honors.
The 22-year-old Skenes was 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA when he was named as only the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game, and the first in almost 30 years. The 6-foot-6 right-hander still boasts impressive stats, including a 7-2 record and 2.30 ERA, but Skenes has a 4.15 ERA in three August starts in which he has walked eight batters in 17 1/3 innings.
Meanwhile, Merrill has been on fire during the dog days of August, posting a .310 batting average, a 1.033 OPS, four home runs and 14 RBIs through 58 at-bats entering Wednesday. That has boosted his season batting average to .289 with 17 home runs and 69 RBIs.
While Skenes’ Pirates have sunk to the bottom of the NL Central, Merrill has helped keep the Padres in the thick of the NL West race. San Diego entered Wednesday only three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Padres also sit atop the wild-card picture.
There is more than a month for Skenes to flip the tides back, but the Pirates’ fading playoff chances add to the challenge. He makes his next start on Thursday when Pittsburgh opens a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
It does appear to be a two-man race, with the third-shortest odds belonging to San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald as a +5000 longshot.
Skenes remains the slim favorite in some sportsbooks. That includes DraftKings, where he was offered at -120 on Wednesday ahead of Merrill at -110. They were followed by Fitzgerald and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio at +6000.
–Field Level Media
