Pirates Shut Out Padres 7-1 Behind Skenes’ Dominant Start and Griffin’s Breakout

Pirates 7, Padres 1, Paul Skenes returned to form with a gem on Tuesday night, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning and leading Pittsburgh to a convincing win over San Diego.

Skenes, the reigning Cy Young Award winner, was nearly untouchable for six innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six and walking two. The 23-year-old right-hander needed only 87 pitches to get through his outing, with his fastball sitting consistently around 97 mph. He retired 11 of the 13 batters he faced from the second through the fifth innings.

The Pirates' offense backed Skenes with a season-high seven runs, including a breakout performance from 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin. After going 1-for-13 in his first 13 at-bats, Griffin tallied his first career multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. His contributions weren’t limited to the plate, he made a pair of slick defensive plays, including a key double play in the sixth to help strand the bases loaded.

Skenes had a chance to continue his historic night in the sixth, but Fernando Tatis Jr. broke up the no-hitter with a sharp single to left. The damage was minimal, as Skenes was pulled after 6 1/3 innings per a pregame pitch count limit. Xander Bogaerts then spoiled the perfect night with a solo home run in the seventh, the first given up by a Pirates starter this season.

Griffin’s defensive standout continued the momentum for the Bucs. He made a diving stop in the sixth to force a double play and has now made highlight-reel plays in three straight games. His ability to make tough plays look routine has already drawn praise from his teammates.

"That was awesome, getting him a win," Griffin said of Skenes. "When a guy throws like that, you’ve got to score runs for the man. That was an awesome win. Everybody did their job, and I was glad to be a part of it."

Skenes is now allowing just two runs in his past 11 1/3 innings, and the Pirates improved to 3-1 on the young season. The Padres, meanwhile, fall to 1-3 and are in need of better production from their lineup.

With Skenes and Griffin both showing signs of stardom, the Pirates look to continue their hot start when they host the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.