Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes rebounded from his shortest start of the season to earn his first win of 2026, leading the Pirates to an 8-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The reigning NL Cy Young winner allowed just one run on five hits over five innings, striking out five batters while walking three.

Skenes' performance marked a significant turnaround after his 37-pitch, two-thirds inning outing against the Mets on opening day, where he surrendered five runs. Pirates manager Don Kelly had targeted 80 pitches for Skenes, who threw 77 total with 51 strikes. The right-hander's 31-inning scoreless streak against Cincinnati ended when Nathaniel Lowe doubled in Elly De La Cruz in the fourth inning.

The Pirates provided strong run support, scoring three runs in the first inning on Oneil Cruz's home run to right field. Skenes improved to 5-0 with a 0.53 ERA in six career starts against the Reds, holding them to a .197 batting average while striking out 45 and walking only four. His 2.10 ERA through 57 career starts ranks fourth-best since 1920 among pitchers, and is the lowest mark by a Pirates hurler in any 57-start span since Babe Adams posted a 2.06 ERA between 1918 and 1920.