Paul Skenes Knocked Around in Loss to Blue Jays; Pirates Offense Flat vs. Corbin

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Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Paul Skenes had one of the shakiest starts of his career and was out-pitched by veteran left-hander Patrick Corbin as the Pittsburgh Pirates were defeated 5-2 by the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Saturday.

Scoring Plays​

Bottom 1st, 1-0 TOR: George Springer hit a leadoff home run off Pirates starter Paul Skenes (6-4). Springer turned on an 0-2 fastball for a 396-foot home run to left field.

Top 6th, 1-1: After a Bryan Reynolds single with two outs off Patrick Corbin (2-1), Marcell Ozuna lined a double to right field to get the Pirates (26-26) on the board.

Bottom 6th, 4-1 TOR: The tie didn’t last long as the Blue Jays (25-27) quickly went back on top off Skenes. Jesús Sánchez hit an RBI double to right and Ernie Clement plated a pair with a single to left field. With runners on the corners and no outs, the Pirates turned to Yohan Ramírez, who got Andrés Giménez to bounce into a double play, trading a run for two outs.

Bottom 7th, 5-1 TOR: Tyler Heineman hit his first home run of the season and first since last year on July 19 against the Giants. His solo shot to right came off Ramírez.

Bottom 8th, 5-2 TOR: With runners on the corners and one out, Ozuna brought home his second run of the game with a groundout to first off Yariel Rodríguez.

Key Moments​

It looked like Paul Skenes struck out Jesús Sánchez prior to his go-ahead double in the sixth, but the third base umpire ruled Sánchez checked his swing.

The Pirates brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the eighth but Jhostynxon Garcia broke his bat and grounded out to pitcher Adam Macko to end the inning.

Player of the Game​

Patrick Corbin’s seven strikeouts and six innings were both season-highs. He held the Pirates to just one run on five hits and didn’t walk a batter. Prior to Bryan Reynolds’ single in the sixth, Corbin had retired 14 batters in a row.

Stat to Know​

The Blue Jays had nine hits against Paul Skenes, which were the most he’s allowed in any start in his career. Entering play, Skenes had not allowed more than seven hits in any of the first 65 starts of his career.

Notable Performances​

• Paul Skenes: 5.0 innings, nine hits, four runs, one walk, two strikeouts, 98 pitches/62 strikes
• Bryan Reynolds: 2 for 3, one run, one walk
• Marcell Ozuna: 1 for 4, one double, two RBI

Noteworthy​

• Bryan Reynolds played in his 1,000th career game. He’s one of 34 players to play at least 1,000 games with the Pirates.
• Pirates manager Don Kelly and pitching coach Bill Murphy were both ejected by home plate umpire Alan Porter in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Up Next​

RHP Mitch Keller (4-2, 3.86 ERA) will be on the mound on Sunday afternoon as the Pirates look to salvage the series. RHP Dylan Cease (3-2, 2.98 ERA) will look to lead the Blue Jays to a sweep. First pitch: 12:15 p.m. ET on Peacock/93.7 The Fan.

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