Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, battling another dip in his fastball velocity, was lifted after just 65 pitches in Tuesday's loss to the Miami Marlins. Manager Don Kelly insisted the early exit "wasn't injury-related," saying he lifted the All-Star before the sixth inning because it gave them "the best chance to win." Skenes understood, quipping he'd do the same if he were manager.

Skenes allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts. His average fastball velocity this season is 96.8 mph, down from 98.1 mph last season. On Tuesday in Miami, he averaged a career-low 95.7 mph and did not throw a single pitch harder than 97 mph, with a 12% whiff rate, the lowest single-game mark of his career.

Skenes fell to 3-4 in his last nine starts with a 5.79 ERA over that stretch. Neither Skenes nor Kelly directly addressed the velocity drop, but Skenes cited "changes" in his routine and high-pitch-count innings as possible reasons. Kelly added, "It's tough. We need to keep grinding."