CHICAGO (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes has pitched six no-hit innings in his second major league start against the Chicago Cubs.
Skenes, one of baseball’s top prospects, has struck out 11, including his first seven batters on a sunny Friday at Wrigley Field. He has thrown 100 pitches, 67 for strikes.
The Pirates have an 8-0 lead.
Michael Busch walked in the fifth for Chicago’s only baserunner so far. Christopher Morel led off the fifth with a routine fly ball to left that Bryan Reynolds hauled in just shy of the warning track.
Skenes, who turns 22 on May 29, was selected by Pittsburgh with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s amateur draft. He helped LSU win the national championship before agreeing to a contract with the Pirates that included a $9.2 million signing bonus.
He had a 0.99 ERA in seven starts with Triple-A Indianapolis when he was brought up by the Pirates last weekend. He pitched four innings of three-run ball in his major league debut against Chicago, striking out seven and walking two.
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