SUBSCRIBE
Baseball

WBC hangover? Not for Paul Skenes as injury bug hits Cy Young peer Tarik Skubal

By No Comments14 Mins Read

PHOENIX — Pittsburgh Pirates Cy Young winner Paul Skenes kept talking, but without the slightest hesitation, leaned over, rapping his knuckle against the adjoining locker, knocking on wood.

It’s an uncomfortable subject, one that terrifies every pitcher, but it’s a cold, cruel reality in the baseball world.

Pitchers get hurt. They require surgeries.

Seasons are ruined. Careers are shortened.

“I’ve never really had to deal with stuff like that,” Skenes tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s not something I like to think about.”

Yet, on the morning of Skenes’ last start Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks before yielding just two baserunners in eight shutout innings, he was in his hotel room sending a text message to Detroit Tigers two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Skubal, his Team USA teammate in the World Baseball Classic, underwent elbow surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday to clean out bone chips, which is expected to sideline him about two months.

“I mean, it’s unfortunate,” Skenes tells USA TODAY Sports. “I don’t know, I’ve never really had to deal with stuff like that. But he has.

“I’ve seen his routine now, up close and personal in the WBC. He has a really good routine. He’s going to come back, and he’s going to be really good.”

Paul Skenes made two starts in the 2026 WBC.

Skubal’s surgery comes just two weeks after Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz underwent elbow surgery to remove five “loose bodies’ in his elbow. Diaz pitched for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC.

“I’ve heard that a lot of pitchers probably have it,’’ Skenes says, “but who knows?”

It’s no secret that as much as MLB embraces the WBC, and players love participating, there are risks. Maybe it’s just a cruel coincidence, but the landscape is littered with pitchers who have been injured besides Skubal and Diaz, and others who have struggled in the early going.

– Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia, who closed out the WBC championship game for Venezuela, went on the injured list in April with a strained oblique.

– Cubs starter Matthew Boyd went on the IL with a biceps strain in April, and then sustained a freak knee injury to his meniscus Wednesday playing with his kids.

– San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb, who is battling left knee discomfort, is 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA.

– Michael Lorenzen, who pitched for Italy, is 2-3 with a 6.09 ERA with the Colorado Rockies.

– Taijuan Walker, who pitched for Mexico, went 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA before being released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

1 / 72

Meet Paul Skenes’ girlfriend Livvy Dunne: SI swimsuit star and ex-LSU gymnast

Livvy Dunne attends an event ahead of Super Bowl LX on Feb. 6, 2026 in San Francisco.

There are others who pitched in the WBC who are doing quite well, including Ranger Suarez of the Boston Red Sox (2-2, 2.77 ERA). Then there are Skenes and Arizona Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez (3-0, 2.50), who are absolutely thriving, and looking like they could be teammates in July at the All-Star Game.

Rodriguez, who pitched in the WBC championship game for Venezuela in their victory over USA, is having the finest season of his career, with scouts believing they have never seen him pitch better in his 11-year career.

“I feel great,” Rodriguez said. “The WCB didn’t affect me at all. It’s just like being in a spring training. You’re a little more into it, but it feels like it. I throw as hard as I can in spring training, anyways, so I don’t feel that much of a difference.”

And yes, physically, he feels perfectly fine.

“I know there have been some injuries,’’ Rodriguez says, “but injuries are going to happen no matter what.’’

Skenes, who gave up five earned runs and couldn’t get out of the first inning in his season debut, drawing concerns about a WBC hangover, says he feels perfectly fine, too. He’s picking up right where he left off in last year’s Cy Young season, with a 5-2 record and 2.36 ERA.

“I think we did a really good job in the build-up,’’ Skenes said. “A really good job in spring training. We kind of used the early season as king of a build-up. And I think we’re still doing that.

“So, I’m feeling good. I think we’re in a good spot.”

Knock on wood.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Baseball Classic hangover? Skenes feels good amid Skubal injury news

Read the full article here

Share.

Related Posts

Leave A Reply

Exit mobile version