The Pirates have pitched 13 shutouts. That’s second in MLB.

The Pirates’ WHIP is 1.20. That’s third in MLB.

The Pirates’ ERA is 3.75. That’s ninth in MLB.

Imagine if the Pirates could hit just a bit better.

But there are too many games like Friday’s, when the Pirates got just one hit in 11 innings during a 1-0 loss to Arizona at PNC Park.

That would have been a 14th shutout. Instead, it’s just a loss.

I didn’t think Paul Skenes could get the National League Cy Young Award if he has a losing record.

Now, I’m not so sure.

Skenes is 6-8, but has MLB’s best ERA at 1.83. His WHIP ranks fourth at 0.90.

Skenes alternates between overwhelming and crafty. He was both when he handcuffed Arizona in Sunday’s 6-0 victory at PNC Park.

In six innings, Skenes allowed three hits and one walk while striking out nine. He pitched his way out of a few jams, stranding runners at third base on three occasions.

Skenes is the best pitcher in baseball.

It’s going to suck when Skenes leaves. He may get traded as soon as after next season. When arbitration awards him around $30 million.

Dave Parker was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

His plaque is the last that will feature a Pirates’ “P” on the player’s cap.

No great players will stick around long enough to identify as Pirates. That’s been the case for decades.

“,”provider_name”:”TikTok”,”provider_url”:”https://www.tiktok.com”,”thumbnail_height”:1024,”thumbnail_url”:”https://p16-sign.tiktokcdn-us.com/tos-useast5-p-0068-tx/osA5wvYHgiIjmQYAFaB14UvdbE2IBBbGBi1Eq~tplv-tiktokx-origin.image?dr=9636&x-expires=1753635600&x-signature=Xa0jS4NII9V4LL1zvUi1Z0BOsdE%3D&t=4d5b0474&ps=13740610&shp=b59d6b55&shcp=43f4a2f9&idc=useast5″,”thumbnail_width”:576,”title”:”its a long video and not something i would normally upload but i feel like i had to talk about this experience. i basically ran out of there but i wish i would’ve stood up for myself. if you are a micro influencer i know it’s easy to feel discouraged at times but don’t let anyone make you feel small or unimportant!! “,”type”:”video”,”version”:”1.0″,”width”:”100%”},”embed_type”:”video”,”html”:”\u003cblockquote class=\”tiktok-embed\” cite=\”https://www.tiktok.com/@itskarlabb/video/7530126495008689422\” data-video-id=\”7530126495008689422\” data-embed-from=\”oembed\” style=\”max-width:605px; 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href=\”https://www.tiktok.com/@itskarlabb?refer=embed\”>@itskarlabb\u003c/a> \u003cp>im just so grateful to everyone that helped me turn this around and find the silver lining in it🫶🏼 thank you to everyone that’s shown me support – im trying my best to respond to everyone’s kind messages love you guys🥹🤍🤍 many yummy videos to come!!\u003c/p> \u003ca target=\”_blank\” title=\”♬ original sound – itskarlabb\” href=\”https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7530523357885123341?refer=embed\”>♬ original sound – itskarlabb\u003c/a> \u003c/section> \u003c/blockquote> \u003cscript async 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src=\”https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js\”>\u003c/script>”,”provider”:”TikTok”,”rendering_hint”:”default”,”schedule”:{},”type”:”embed”,”url”:”https://www.tiktok.com/@itskarlabb/video/7530523212342430990″}],”canonical_url”:”https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-07-25-top-chef-fired-for-making-influencer-cry-after-telling-her-she-isnt-famous/”,”cuser”:”user/ldap/cccnyc1wjg”,”enable_featured_widget”:true,”exclusion”:{“tags”:[]},”external_url”:””,”fb_allow_comments”:true,”featured_widget”:{“country”:””,”id”:””,”kind”:””,”related_id”:””},”feed_content_id”:””,”feed_partner_content”:false,”feed_permalink”:””,”feed_type”:””,”feed_vendor”:””,”include_recommendations”:true,”include_video_monetization”:true,”is_sponsored”:false,”keywords”:[“keywords/ai-assisted”],”primary_image”:{“bucket”:”new_assets”,”id”:”%2F6883c531e7d2afb2bcd3b1b3″},”primary_target”:{“categories”:[“categories/national-news”,”categories/lifestyle”,”categories/weird-news”],”distribution”:[“brands/iHeartRadio”]},”publish_date”:1753466040000,”publish_end_date”:4115978604802,”publish_origin”:”brands/iHeartRadio”,”seo_title”:””,”show_updated_timestamp”:false,”simplereach_enabled”:false,”slug”:”2025-07-25-top-chef-fired-for-making-influencer-cry-after-telling-her-she-isnt-famous”,”social_title”:””,”summary”:”Food 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chef.”,”author”:”iHeartRadio”},”pub_start”:1753466040000,”pub_until”:4115978604802,”pub_changed”:1753466447821,”subscription”:[{“tags”:[“categories/national-news”,”categories/lifestyle”,”categories/weird-news”,”brands/iHeartRadio”]},{“tags”:[“categories/national-news”,”formats/NEWSTALK”]},{“tags”:[“categories/lifestyle”,”categories/weird-news”,”facets/All Sites – 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src=\”https://www.iheart.com/artist/33221/?embed=true&keyid=EditorialPlayer\” frameborder=\”0\”>\u003c/iframe>”,”provider_name”:”ohembed”,”thumbnail_height”:0,”thumbnail_url”:””,”thumbnail_width”:0,”title”:””,”type”:”rich”,”version”:”1.0″,”width”:”100%”},”embed_type”:”rich”,”html”:”\u003ciframe allow=\”autoplay\” width=\”100%\” height=\”300\” style=\”border: 0;\” src=\”https://www.iheart.com/artist/33221/?embed=true&keyid=EditorialPlayer\” frameborder=\”0\”>\u003c/iframe>”,”provider”:”ohembed”,”rendering_hint”:”default”,”schedule”:{},”type”:”embed”,”url”:”https://www.iheart.com/artist/33221/?embed=true&keyid=EditorialPlayer”},{“attributes”:{“mimetype”:”image/jpeg”,”type”:”image”},”bucket”:”new_assets”,”caption”:””,”id”:”%2F6883b3be088def2a51b9166c”,”new_tab”:false,”schedule”:{},”source_credit”:”Getty Images”,”title”:””,”type”:”asset”,”url”:””,”use_caption”:false},{“html”:”\u003cp>There’s no love lost between \u003ca href=\”https://www.iheart.com/artist/taylor-swift-33221/\” data-catalog-kind=\”ARTIST\” data-catalog-id=\”33221\” data-catalog-related-id=\”\”>\u003cstrong>Taylor Swift\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> and her ex-boyfriend’s mom.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003cp>On Thursday (July 24), \u003cstrong>Denise Welch\u003c/strong>, the mother of \u003ca href=\”https://www.iheart.com/artist/the-1975-781943/\” data-catalog-kind=\”ARTIST\” data-catalog-id=\”781943\” data-catalog-related-id=\”\”>The 1975\u003c/a> singer \u003cstrong>Matty Healy\u003c/strong>, appeared as a guest on \u003cem>Watch What Happens Live!\u003c/em>, where host \u003cstrong>Andy Cohen\u003c/strong> wanted to get the scoop about her true thoughts on her son’s brief romance \u003ca href=\”https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-07-24-new-exhibit-gives-fans-a-closer-look-at-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-outfits/\” target=\”_blank\”>with the \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\”https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-07-24-new-exhibit-gives-fans-a-closer-look-at-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-outfits/\” target=\”_blank\”>\u003cem>Midnights\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\”https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-07-24-new-exhibit-gives-fans-a-closer-look-at-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-outfits/\” target=\”_blank\”> singer\u003c/a>, and she didn’t mince words, per \u003ca href=\”https://pagesix.com/2025/07/25/celebrity-news/taylor-swift-shaded-by-her-ex-matty-healys-mom-denise-welch-glad-im-not-her-mother-in-law/\” target=\”_blank\”>\u003cem>Page Six\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003cp>"Obviously, on pain of death can I talk about that episode, but not being her mother-in-law is a role that I am glad that I lost," she said, adding, "Not that I have anything against her at all. It was just — it was tricky." \u003c/p>\n\n\u003cp>Swift and Healy \u003ca href=\”https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-10-25-did-matty-healy-just-take-a-jab-at-taylor-swift/\” target=\”_blank\”>dated briefly in the summer of 2023\u003c/a> before each going their separate ways, though not without some musical inspiration. 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