Country music singer Lainey Wilson will serve as the guest picker on College Gameday for LSU football vs. Clemson on Saturday. The two sides meet for a Week One clash under the lights in Iger Stadium for the back half of a home-and-home set.
Wilson, a Louisiana native, made an appearance on SEC Nation in Baton Rouge last season. During an interview with Laura Rutledge, Wilson talked about her small town roots as well as her love for LSU. Now, she'll be sitting alongside Nick Saban, Pat MacAfee and Kirk Herbstreit before the Tigers open the 2026 season.
Soon after the announcement, Wilson joined The Pat McAfee show to talk about her selection as the guest picker and said she plans to perform on College Gameday. She follows in the footsteps of some of the most famous LSU alumni, such as Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne.
Callin' Baton Rougelaineywilson is the Guest Picker for the 500th CollegeGameDay show pic.twitter.com/VrGbyBkKCV
"I'm just fired up to go back home," Wilson said. "I cannot tell you the amount of fun I have had at LSU football games."

#picker #gameday #baton #back

SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 24: Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) waves to fans in celebration of his three home runs during the MLB game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners on August 24, 2026 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A rejuvenated, revised and much improved edition of catcher Cal Raleigh has arrived on the Seattle Mariners roster.
Raleigh, 29, has been missing in action in the Mariners offense for most of the 2026 season.
In fact, Raleigh's struggles have been so bad, cbssportsline.com listed Raleigh as the No. 1 player in an article ******* led :"The most disappointing MLB players of 2026: Cal Raleigh, Paul Skenes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and more."
Now, as if on cue, as the final month of the Major League Baseball season quickly approaches, Raleigh's bat has come to life.

#raleigh #philadelphia

Last year, there was a highly anticipated pitching matchup between Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes. The matchup was hyped for days and it was a sellout game at American Family Field. This afternoon, we will have a similar matchup. Jacob Misiorowski is on the mound again, facing off against another Cy Young winner, this time in Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale.
There will be strikeouts, there will be high velocity, there will likely not be a lot of runs scored. Misiorowski has a 1.75 ERA on the season while Sale is sitting at a 2.16 ERA.
The Brewers were able to score plenty of runs during their series against the Seattle Mariners on this homestand. It will not be so easy this afternoon, even though the Mariners rotation has put up some very good numbers this year.
Granted, every time you see a matchup of aces and you think runs will be scarce, that game somehow has a way of turning into a 10-8 slugfest. Because that's baseball.
The Brewers offense will be attempting to provide that level of support to Misiorowski. Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras form the top of the lineup that will face Sale. Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, and Gary Sanchez make up the middle of the order with Sanchez serving as the DH. Joey Ortiz, Cooper Pratt, and Luis Lara round out the bottom of the lineup.

#Mariners

Despite a rough latter half of the game, the Tigers beat the Pirates 8-5.
After limping their way through a no-good-very-bad weekend series against the White Sox, the Tigers were hoping for a better result as they headed to Pittsburgh. The home of a bunch of yellow bridges, Primanti Brothers sandwiches, and the best view in baseball, the Tigers would have to best their NL rivals and they picked a good time to do it with Paul Skenes slumping terribly and the Pirates, but the Pirates actually have a nearly identical record to the Tigers at the moment, so truly no one knows how this road trip is going to pan out. The Tigers had Framber Valdez on the mound, up against Carmen Mlodzinski for the Pirates.
Gleyber Torres took a leadoff walk in the first to start the game. With two outs, Colt Keith singled, then Zach McKinstry singled to bring Torres home. A Hao-Yu Lee single then brought Keith in and the Tigers were up 2-0 at the turnover of the first.
Valdez made short work of the Pirates in the home half, getting them out in order.
In the second, with two outs, Torres singled. Kevin McGonigle then homered, quickly doubling the Tigers' run count. Dillon Dingler singled, but the Tigers weren't able to bring in any additional runs.

#pirates #home #half #good

So many rehabs! As we round the stretch of the 2026 season, the Red Sox will be getting reinforcements from several long-injured players (though in the case of some of these players, it's an open question as to whether they're improvements over the current options). First up is Trevor Story, who is planning on playing today for AAA Worcester. Then comes the big guy: Roman Anthony is slated to play on Tuesday for AA Portland. Then it will be Isiah Kiner-Falefa making his rehab debut on Wednesday alongside Story in AAA. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
The rehabs come at an opportune time, as it looks like the Red Sox just lost another bat to injury. Masataka Yoshida left last night's game with a strained left hamstring and is likely headed to the IL. "I think he's going to be down for some time," said Chad Tracy. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
To be frank, losing Masa isn't much of a blow, as he's barely contributed this season. Losing Sonny Gray, on the other hand, would be a major blow, as he's turned himself into the team's ace in the absence of the injured Garrett Crochet. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Jake Bennett hasn't turned himself into an ace like Gray, but he has turned himself into an unexpected key contributor at the back end of the rotation. In the midst of an outstanding season, he has struggled a touch lately, but neither he nor Chad Tracy sounds all that worried at this point. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Speaking of aces, the Sox were scheduled to face Paul Skenes today. But Skenes, who has had a shaky season this year, is being pushed back to later this week. The Sox will instead matchup against reliever Lake Bechar in what looks like it's going to be a bullpen game. (Rodney Knuppel, NESN)

#like #tracy #sean

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made a notable change to their weekend pitching plans involving one of MLB's biggest stars.
Paul Skenes will no longer make his scheduled start Sunday, with the Pirates instead pushing the reigning NL Cy Young winner back to Wednesday, according to manager Don Kelly. The team is giving its ace additional rest, and importantly, the decision is not injury-related.
MORE: MLB awards predictions for the 2026 season
Aug 9, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) walks out to the bullpen before the game against the New York Mets at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The decision comes after Skenes has experienced an unusually difficult stretch this season.

#sunday #wednesday

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes was originally scheduled to pitch Sunday's series finale against the Red Sox, but the Pirates are pushing his start by three days. The right-hander will now pitch Wednesday's game against the Tigers in Pittsburgh.
The decision to push his start back by three days is not injury-related.
"Just giving Paul more rest. He was ready to go. Feel like it will give him a few more days to recover," said manager Don Kelly, who announced the decision after Saturday's loss to Boston. "As we go through that, give other guys on the backside and extra day, as well."
Skenes last pitched on Tuesday in Miami, when he was pulled after only throwing 65 pitches through five innings. He went through his normal recovery and threw a bullpen at PNC Park on Friday before he was informed of the decision.
"We talked about it at when I showed up at the field [on Saturday]," said Skenes, who was anticipating making his scheduled start. "Ultimately, it was (Kelly's) decision, but we had talked about it. And like I said after the last start, I'll have his back on whatever that is. I don't necessarily disagree with the decision either."

#days #scheduled

When the 2026 season started with Paul Skenes having the roughest start of his MLB career against the New York Mets, many thought it would be just a blip on his greatness radar. Unfortunately, it might have been a precursor for things to come this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates ace, and now we're left wondering if something is truly wrong with Skenes.
On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss yet another concerning start for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner and try to figure out what's going on with Paul Skenes. They make a comparison between him and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who has also suffered a major falloff after his great 2025 campaign, and discuss whether the World Baseball Classic can be used as an excuse.
Later in the show, Jake and Jordan talk about Jackson Merrill being at the forefront of the San Diego Padres' hot offense, which has put them right back in the mix for a potential NL Wild Card spot. They then highlight the Chicago White Sox giving out a Pope hat as part of a giveaway, Tim Anderson announcing his retirement and play a fun game surrounding the 2026 Heart and Hustle Award winners.
1:11 - The Opener: Paul Skenes' concern grows
19:13 - Cal Raleigh's falloff from 2026

#skenes #Baseball #falloff

It feels cliche to ponder the possibility of the Pittsburgh Pirates shutting Paul Skenes down, even in what increasingly looks like another lost season for him and his team.
His overall numbers are far from bad relative to the rest of baseball. His 3.88 ERA is fine. His 2.99 FIP, which measures a pitcher's effectiveness independent of the defense behind him, is very good. So is his 1.12 WHIP, which measures walks and hits per innings pitched.
Yes, his velocity is down, noticeably. Skenes topped out at 96.5 mph on Aug. 11, and his season average is at 96.8 mph on his four-seam vs a 98.2 mph average in 2025. No, he doesn't look like the dominant Cy Young-caliber ace he was his first two seasons. And yes, that reality raises existential questions about the club's future, specifically his future with it. He also hasn't fully turned into a proverbial pumpkin the way the narrative around this team would sometimes have one think.
Required Reading: Pirates pull Paul Skenes from start vs. Marlins after just 65 pitches
It nevertheless became a lot harder to ignore the signs that Skenes may not complete the season Aug. 11 in Miami. Manager Don Kelly pulled Skenes after just five innings and 65 pitches against the Marlins, though he said after the game that the decision wasn't injury related.

#marlins #like #measures

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes took the mound Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins.
However, the outing went nowhere near as planned and ended in an extremely unusual way for the three-time All-Star.
Skenes pitched five innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs before Pittsburgh pulled him after just 65 pitches. He also never topped 97 mph, with his fastest pitch reaching just 96.5 mph.
Paul Skenes threw just 65 pitches in five innings tonight against the Marlins, allowing one earned run while striking out four, walking one and allowing five hits
He never reached 97 MPH on any pitch pic.twitter.com/MNufGwO7Ut

#earned

MIAMI (AP) — Eury Pérez allowed three hits over seven innings, Esteury Ruiz homered and the Miami Marlins beat Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 on Tuesday night.
Pérez (6-9) struck out three straight Pirates to start the game and surrendered only three singles — two in the third and one in his final inning. The right-hander fanned seven and walked two, throwing 100 pitches. He hasn't surrendered a homer in seven straight starts.
Michael Petersen struck out two in the eighth and Pete Fairbanks retired the side in order in the ninth for his 18th save in 21 opportunities.
Skenes (9-11) left after five innings and 65 pitches. He allowed two runs — one earned — on five hits. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner struck out four and walked one after entering with a 3-3 record and a 6.26 ERA in his previous eight starts.
Ruiz hit his sixth home run, a one-out solo shot in the third to put Miami ahead.

#struck #ruiz #innings

Over his first two Major League seasons, Paul Skenes was one of the best and most consistent pitchers in baseball.
That hasn't been the case this year, however, as Skenes is scuffling through his worst season yet.
The reigning NL Cy Young winner took another loss on Tuesday, his third in a row and eleventh of the season. That's already a career-worst for him, and there's still more than a month left in the regular season.
Tuesday's loss wasn't Skenes' fault, as the Pittsburgh Pirates were blanked by the Miami Marlins in a 2-0 pitching duel. Still, his 3.88 ERA is nearly two full runs higher than his 1.96 career mark coming into the season.
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#still #major #league

In a starting pitching landscape filled with uncertainty and inconsistency, Paul Skenes was supposed to be a given. He was the consensus top prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft, blitzed through the minor leagues in just 17 starts, and posted sub-2.00 ERA seasons in each of his first two MLB years. He came into this season just 24 years old and set to dominate the sport for years to come.
But somewhere along the way, things went sideways.
It began on Opening Day, when Skenes couldn't even make it out of the first inning against the Mets, allowing five runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning. People wondered whether his 8.1 innings in the World Baseball Classic had caused him to ramp up too quickly in the offseason. Yet, that Opening Day game was characterized by poor defense and bad luck and seemed like more of a fluke than anything.
Skenes allowed more than one run in just one of his next eight starts, and it seemed like we were right back on track.
Yet, here we are, on August 11, asking ourselves how Skenes could possibly have a 3.96 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 129.2 innings for the Pirates this year. How could he also take that big of a step backwards while also increasing his strikeout rate and K-BB% from last year while posting an identical swinging strike rate (SwStr%)? None of it seems to add up, so it's time we dig in a little deeper to find out what's wrong with Paul Skenes in 2026.

#opening #starts #first #seemed

The college football world will descend on Baton Rouge for Week 1 of the 2026 season. LSU football hosts Clemson in the back half of a home-and-home. College GameDay, ESPN's morning show, will tape live on LSU's campus to ring in the season.
LSU always brings one of the most lively crowds to College GameDay. There will be a lot of buzz around the state on September 5. Lane Kiffin will lead the Tigers onto the field for the first time as LSU's head coach. The team is filled with highly-touted newcomers, such as quarterback Sam Leavitt.
One of the most exciting parts of College GameDay comes toward the end when the guest picker takes the table alongside Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit to cast votes for that day's slate of games. The picker typically has a connection to the host school.
Recent guest pickers for LSU include Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne. Other schools dip more into the entertainment **** e of celebrities who are fans of the school and not necessarily alumni.
Here are five potential College Gameday guest pickers for LSU vs. Clemson.

#college #clemson #season #picker

During the top of the third inning of Monday night's Royals vs. Dodgers game, the SportsNet LA broadcast flashed a leaderboard of the lowest starter ERA since the start of the 2023 season. Of the five names listed, four are currently employed by the back-to-back champs: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and the star of this particular evening, Tarik Skubal. Some understandably pessimistic fans in western Pennsylvania surely harbor fear that the fifth figure, Paul Skenes, will end up in Dodger blue one day as well.
But if that list was a reminder — as if anybody needed another — of the preposterous talent gilding L.A.'s star-studded roster, Skubal's ordinary performance on Monday in his first home start as a Dodger emphasized that nothing in this wonky sport is preordained.
Pitching in front of a revved up, eager audience, Skubal was downright mediocre in L.A.'s 6-5 victory over the Royals.
His fastball command was, by his cathedral standards, scattershot. He struggled to locate the four-seamer consistently at and just above the top rail, right where the world-beating southpaw makes his bread. Skubal had similar issues with his sinker, a handful of which ended up catching far too much plate, including one that resulted in a first-inning RBI single from Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone.
But the hammer blow of Skubal's night came in the third, when he gifted Caglianone a hanging, piped 0-2 slider. The scalding-hot lefty didn't miss the miss, sizzling the breaker 110.8 mph into the right-field seats to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead.

#four

During the top of the third inning of Monday night's Royals vs. Dodgers game, the SportsNet LA broadcast flashed a leaderboard of the lowest starter ERA since the start of the 2023 season. Of the five names listed, four are currently employed by the back-to-back champs: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and the star of this particular evening, Tarik Skubal. Some understandably pessimistic fans in western Pennsylvania surely harbor fear that the fifth figure, Paul Skenes, will end up in Dodger blue one day as well.
But if that list was a reminder — as if anybody needed another — of the preposterous talent gilding L.A.'s star-studded roster, Skubal's ordinary performance on Monday in his first home start as a Dodger emphasized that nothing in this wonky sport is preordained.
Pitching in front of a revved up, eager audience, Skubal was downright mediocre in L.A.'s 6-5 victory over the Royals.
His fastball command was, by his cathedral standards, scattershot. He struggled to locate the four-seamer consistently at and just above the top rail, right where the world-beating southpaw makes his bread. Skubal had similar issues with his sinker, a handful of which ended up catching far too much plate, including one that resulted in a first-inning RBI single from Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone.
But the hammer blow of Skubal's night came in the third, when he gifted Caglianone a hanging, piped 0-2 slider. The scalding-hot lefty didn't miss the miss, sizzling the breaker 110.8 mph into the right-field seats to give Kansas City an early 3-0 lead.

#Royals #caglianone #inning #start

Today's slate features the best team in baseball attempting to finish off a division rival, followed by a WNBA rematch between two teams battling for playoff positioning.
Milwaukee became the first MLB team to reach 70 wins with Tuesday's victory, but closing out the series will not come easily with Paul Skenes starting for Pittsburgh. In the WNBA, the Wings will look for payback against a Mystics team riding a four-game winning streak after beating Dallas 81-75 last week.
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First Pick: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – Under 7 runs
Rundown: Arguably the best team in MLB, the Brewers get ace pitcher Kyle Harrison back on the mound tonight after he was sidelined with an injury on July 11.

#team #pittsburgh #paul

Today might be the Trade Deadline (and check out Tracker if you haven't already) and it's an off day for our Atlanta Braves but there's still news to discuss outside of all of that. We're a few days into the month of August and now Atlanta's ace hurler has received some recognition for what he did during July.
Chris Sale has been recognized as the National League Pitcher of the Month for July.
Here's more from Major League Baseball's press release on the matter:
The 13th overall pick of the 2010 Draft posted three scoreless starts, dealing 7.0 innings on July 17th against Texas and 6.0 frames in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Citi Field on July 29th, along with a rain-shortened start of 3.0 innings on July 10th at St. Louis. He registered six strikeouts against the Rangers and nine at the Mets as he held both opponents to just two hits and did not issue a walk. Sale has three starts of at least 6.0 scoreless innings in which he allowed two-or-fewer hits and no walks (also: April 1st vs. ATH), matching Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes for the most such starts in the Majors this year.
Sale made five starts in total during the month of July (with 27 total innings pitched) and finished with a 2.00 ERA and a 2.21 FIP across those five starts. He racked up strikeouts at a pretty high rate, finishing with an 11.33 K/9 alongisde a 1.33 BB/9 and a 0.67 HR/9 over the month of July. Additionally, the Braves won all but one of those five starts he made — the only loss came when Sale was limited to three innings due to rain hitting Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

#sale #league

Paul Skenes' nightmarish July leaves ex-Cowboys star searching for answers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Paul Skenes has done nothing but impress over his past two years in the MLB. However, July marked a rare instance for the Pirates ace, who struggled to keep the ball out of play.
In July, the right-hander went 3-2 with a 6.25 ERA, allowing 22 earned runs and 37 hits. In his latest start against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, Skenes lasted only four innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits, walking four and striking out seven. His season ERA has now climbed to 3.90.
After Skenes' latest start, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was curious about this uncharacteristic downfall.
"Curious question..What do you guys think the issue is with Paul Skenes?" he asked on X.

#paul #july #hits

Paul Skenes entered the 2026 MLB season as arguably the best pitcher in the game.
The top pick of the 2023 MLB Draft was the Rookie of the Year in 2024 and won the NL Cy Young Award in 2025 with a sterling 1.97 ERA.
After a disastrous 2026 opening day that saw him give up five runs and fail to escape the first inning, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace settled back in, getting his ERA back below 2 by May 12 and keeping it at 3 or below until it hit 3.10 on May 26.
Skenes' ERA sits at 3.90 now after he lasted just four innings on Friday night, giving up seven hits (including two homers) and five runs. The Pirates ended up losing 8-7 to the Cincinnati Reds, though Skenes did not take the loss.
"It took pretty much an inning to find my delivery, which happens. Usually it doesn't look that bad in the first inning," Skenes said postgame. "Just pretty sloppy all around."

#inning

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
For the Pirates, Friday night's game at Great American Ballpark was a nightmare.
Starter Paul Skenes struggled, the bullpen blew its 20th save, a costly miscue in the eighth gave the Reds the lead, and Ryan O'Hearn had to be carried off the field in the ninth inning of an 8-7 loss to the Reds. Their losing streak is now at four games.
Top 1st, 2-0 PIT: The Pirates (55-56) took advantage of a couple defensive miscues and scored a pair of runs on a Nick Gonzales two-out single up the middle off Hunter Greene with the bases loaded.
Bottom 1st, 2-2: Paul Skenes labored through a 36-pitch inning and the Reds (52-57) quickly struck back to tie the game. Tyler Stephenson ripped an RBI double down the left field line and Nathaniel Lowe plated a run with a base hit to right.

#skenes #field #inning #pghbaseballnow

Pitching development has been the Red Sox's bread and ******* er under Craig Breslow. Since Breslow took over, the organization has invested heavily in the pitching pipeline. In his first two drafts, 28 of the team's 41 picks were spent on pitchers — 29 if you count two-way player Conrad Cason. At the major league level, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and Jake Bennett have all contributed after spending time in the system.
This season, the draft was more balanced, but several pitchers were still selected in the middle and later rounds. One of them was left-hander Brett Lanman out of Abilene Christian University, selected in the fifth round. Lanman, like many of the pitchers acquired by Breslow during his tenure as Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer, is huge. He's listed at 6-5, 230 pounds, and uses that frame to extend down the mound and help his pitches play up. While no two pitchers are the same, he's excited to get to an organization with a recent track record of getting young arms to the major leagues.
"I'm ready to get to work, cause these guys know what they're talking about," Lanman said. "They've developed these guys, and they're in the big leagues. It's like, man, they know, they know what it takes to get a left-handed pitcher into the big leagues pretty quickly."
Draft picks, to an extent, are lottery tickets. It's incredibly rare for a draft pick to enter the league as a major league-level talent. Paul Skeneses (Skenesi? Skenes?) don't grow on trees, and if they did, they'd all be first-round picks. Lanman, as a fifth-round pick, is far from a finished product. If he were, his ERA in his final season at ACU likely would have been lower than 5.35. The Red Sox didn't select the lefty because of his college results. They picked him because of who they believe he can become.
Potential is based on traits, such as being huge and left-handed. Lanman is both huge (6-5, 230) and left-handed. He also has a low release point and plus extension, creating a flat attack angle for his fastball. Most starting pitchers who succeed have a fastball as the foundation. Lanman knows that his heater is what's brought him this far, and that's what the Red Sox will want to build upon.

#league #round

Dynasty fantasy baseball - it is a long-term game where a manager must exploit potential rather than current value. We look for who may become a breakout star and stash them on our bench while the current stars of baseball do the immediate work. It is much more of a chess match, but the smartest shall prevail.
A great way to leverage your team's upside is to focus on the MLB's top prospects. Who will be coming up soon, and/or who just arrived in the majors? Ranked inside the top 50 of the pipeline, stars sit in the waiting. They just may become the next Mike Trout or Aaron Judge- who knows? Here are the latest prospects to have a keen eye on late in July.
Anderson was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. He currently plays for Double-A Arkansas and does so with a 1.36 ERA in 14 games. Anderson's record is 8-1, and he is arguably the best pitching prospect in baseball. He is supposed to be an ace-caliber pitcher once he makes his debut, and that debut is expected by the end of this season.
The value of Anderson may not bring you a 2026 **** le, but it shall give you Skenes-level upside in 2027 and beyond.
Verdict: Must-Stash

#must #become

Livvy Dunne had a perfect comeback for the Cleveland Guardians after they tried to troll her boyfriend Paul Skenes on Sunday, July 19
The Guardians used Dunne's last name in a joke after Skenes' error led to a run for Cleveland in the third inning
After the Pirates went on to win the game 7-1, Dunne clapped back
Livvy Dunne had an epic clapback when the Cleveland Guardians tried to troll her boyfriend Paul Skenes.
Skenes, 24, and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Guardians 7-1 on Sunday, July 19, but Cleveland's social media team was feeling feisty when they scored the first run of the game due to Skenes' error in the third inning.

#skenes #cleveland #sunday

Olivia Dunne makes statement with stylish look while supporting Paul Skenes at MLB All-Star Game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Olivia Dunne continues to be one of the most recognizable faces in sports, and she made another memorable appearance Tuesday night while supporting boyfriend Paul Skenes at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. The former LSU gymnastics star accompanied the Pittsburgh Pirates ace to the annual Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia, where the couple drew plenty of attention during the All-Star red carpet festivities before the game.
Skenes, meanwhile, had plenty to celebrate himself. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner earned his third consecutive All-Star selection after another standout first half. Despite an 8-8 record entering the break, the Pirates right-hander posted a 3.57 ERA with 130 strikeouts, remaining one of baseball's premier starting pitchers.
As Skenes prepared for another All-Star appearance, Dunne was right by his side.
Before players took the field, Skenes and Dunne walked the red carpet together, quickly becoming one of the night's most talked-about couples. Dunne wore a sleek black-and-white dress that generated widespread reaction across social media, with fans praising her elegant look. Major League Baseball also highlighted the pair's arrival by sharing video of the couple on its official social media accounts.

Livvy Dunne Faced Paul Skenes' Fastball, and it Went How You'd Expect for Pirates Ace Vs. Girlfriend originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Paul Skenes wasn't available to pitch in the All-Star Game for the National League, but the Pittsburgh Pirates superstar was there to take part in the festivities in Philadelphia.
By his side was his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, and they turned heads during the Red Carpet Show before the game.
They also told some fun stories, enjoying the chance to appreciate the day without a potential pitching outing for Skenes to worry about.
Maybe the best story? The time Dunne stood in against Skenes.

In advance of the 96th MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night, the league’s best players walked the red carpet, including Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes and his girlfriend, former LSU gymnast and star influencer, Livvy Dunne.
Dunne and Skenes were donning matching outfits, with Skenes wearing a lavender suit with a black lapel and Dunne wearing a black and lavender dress.
Their matching fits were among the most impressive on the MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet on Tuesday night.
Believe it not, it was Dunne following Skenes’ lead and not the other way around.
“He told me what color he’s wearing, and then I just went accordingly,” Dunne said. “That’s literally it.”

For years, we've come to expect the MLB All-Star Game to feature players who have perennially been among the best in the sport. We become accustomed to seeing the same names fill out the rosters. Guys like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale, Jose Altuve, Mike Trout, and more. While some of those names are still here in Philadelphia, it feels like we're witnessing a little bit of a changing of the guard, particularly amongst the starting pitchers.
This year's All-Star rosters had 26 first-time players selected, and 14 of the starting pitchers will be making their first or second appearance in the Midsummer Classic. Six of those starting pitchers (plus Paul Skenes, who is making his third appearance) are 26 years old or younger, and all of them, apart from Skenes, have made fewer than 35 career MLB starts. For comparison's sake, Chris Sale, who is also participating in the All-Star Game, has made 329 career starts (even with his litany of injuries).
"I think the game's changing, the game's getting younger," acknowledged Reds' starting pitcher Chase Burns, who is making his first career All-Star appearance. "I know it probably sucks to say that for older guys, but, you know, it's because of them that the game's gotten better."
That deference to the veterans was common amongst the young hurlers who were present at the All-Star game: "It's a good mix of older, veteran guys that we can learn from, and then a lot of hungry guys that are trying to make it back here every year and stay healthy," said Yankees' starter Cam Schlittler, who is also making his first All-Star appearance.
The "hungry" young guys that Schlittler talked about have been making their presence known this season. Among qualified starting pitchers, five of the top 10 starters in WAR are current All-Stars who are 26 years old or younger. Seven of the top 12 qualified starting pitchers in terms of strikeout rate are 26 years old or younger, including the Guardians' Gavin Williams and the Mets' Nolan McLean, who were not selected as All-Stars.

PHILADELPHIA — Paul Skenes, Juan Soto, and Bryce Harper are among baseball’s All-Stars who say players never will agree to a salary cap but maintain there’s plenty of time to avoid a conflict that could shorten the 2027 season.
“Both sides kind of have their line that they’re not going to cross,” Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace who also is a member of the union’s eight-man negotiating committee, said. “Whether that results in missing games or missing a season, we’ll see.”
Baseball’s five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1 and MLB is expected to immediately lock out players. The more consequential deadline is in late February or early March, when Major League Baseball would announce whether it was postponing opening day.
Owners proposed a salary cap for the first time since the union fought off MLB’s cap plan with a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that caused the first cancellation of the World Series since 1904. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says a cap is needed to lessen payroll disparity.
Soto, who signed a record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets as a free agent after the 2024 season, would be limited to a six-year, $265 million deal under MLB’s proposal.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes had a media session at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday, shortly before the 2026 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, and one day ahead of the MLB All-Star Game. Skenes was named to the National League All-Star team for the third time in his three big-league seasons, and he’s coming off a 2025 season that resulted in him winning the NL Cy Young Award.
Skenes was in the middle of answering a question when another reporter was heard saying, “Hey, Skenes. Hey. Hey, sorry. I just got the best interview of all time with Paul Skenes. Future Yankee.”
Understandably, Skenes didn’t know how to react to the comment, which also cut off his answer to someone else’s question.
Skenes forgot what he was trying to say before going silent for a few seconds.
“Wow, she’s super proud,” another reporter said.