{"id":73167,"date":"2024-05-14T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=73167"},"modified":"2024-05-14T01:30:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T05:30:38","slug":"skenes-jones-future-aces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/05\/14\/skenes-jones-future-aces\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Have a Dynamic Duo, but They Need Better Support"},"content":{"rendered":"

With future aces Jared Jones<\/a> and Paul Skenes<\/a> being showcased, it should have been a feel-good weekend for Pittsburgh Pirates fans. Both pitched creditably enough but lately, these Pirates never fail to disappoint. On Saturday, the crowd who arrived for Skenes\u2019s debut was the most enthusiastic PNC Park has seen since the 2013 \u201cblack-out\u201d Wild Card Game. About 90 minutes from Skenes\u2019s first pitch, the Bucco bullpen managed to turn the crowd ornery.<\/p>\n

Future Aces Skenes and Jones Need Better Support<\/h2>\n

The Chicago Cubs, who are ahead of the Pirates in the National League Central Division, were in town for the weekend series. The baseball world awaited Skenes\u2019 Saturday debut. Skenes learned he\u2019d been called up to the big club<\/a> from the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians on Thursday. He and his social media sensation girlfriend Livvy Dunne missed the flight to Pittsburgh. The Indians were in Louisville, so Skenes and Dunne hopped into his car and made the six-hour drive to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Cubs first had to get past Jones on Friday night.<\/p>\n

Skenes and Jones and . . .<\/h3>\n

With Jones and Skenes starting back-to-back games, it was Pirates fans’ first glimpse of what the future could look like with two aces on the mound. Might they one day be thought of as the 21st-century version of Sandy Koufax<\/a> and Don Drysdale<\/a>? Or maybe Warren Spahn<\/a> and Johnny Sain<\/a> of \u201cSpahn and Sain and pray for rain\u201d fame? What could their catchphrase be? Skenes and Jones and the opposition moans? Skenes and Jones and put down your phones?<\/p>\n

\n

Jared Jones tonight:<\/p>\n

6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR
\n87 pitches, 63 strikes, 18(!) whiffs<\/p>\n

He now has a 2.68 ERA this season pic.twitter.com\/P9HxbQ5gd1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Platinum Ke\u2019Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) May 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n