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This has easily been the roughest stretch of Pittsburgh Pirates star starting pitcher Paul Skenes' career.
Granted, he's still very young at just 24 years old, but this recent stretch for him is a bit concerning for fantasy owners.
The Pirates have now failed to win in seven consecutive starts by Skenes dating back to mid-May, with the most concerning start coming last night.
Last night, in 4.0 innings pitched, he allowed six hits, two walks, two home runs, and eight runs.
That's a brutal game for a pitcher often touted as one of, if not the best, pitchers in the league.
What may be even more concerning is the fact that this hasn't been a huge implosion or a few bad starts.
He has seen his production slowly decline over the course of the season, with offenses continuously getting the better of him.
His ERA in the month of April was just 1.62, giving up just six earned runs and 17 hits in 33.1 innings.
That ERA climbed to 2.87 in May, allowing 10 earned runs and 23 hits in 31.1 innings.
Things got even worse in June, as his ERA for that month was 3.58 after allowing 11 earned runs and 26 hits in 27.2 innings.
Then we have that disaster from last night, his only start in July.
The strikeouts have stayed consistent, but everything else has been declining.
That includes his innings pitched.
As he gets beat up a bit more on the mound, he is getting fewer opportunities to get those strikeouts.
That hasn't impacted him yet, but it will if he continues to give up more hits and runs, because he's going to be exiting games earlier.
Stock Watch Fantasy owners are going to have to decide if this is just a tough stretch or the symptom of a bigger issue, whatever that may be.
Perhaps his arm is getting tired, he's dealing with a minor injury, or opposing hitters have figured him out to some extent.
That is, of course, speculation, but also a reasonable explanation that we see pitchers deal with all the time.
If you are trying to gauge his trade value, we wouldn't necessarily view him as a buy or sell, but you should certainly test the market.
First, it's important to keep in mind that Skenes being disappointing doesn't make him bad.
He's just failing to live up to his own expectations.
That doesn't mean there isn't fantasy value.
As the Skenes owner, if someone offers you a massive package, he is no longer unmovable, because we can't be sure that he's going to improve this season.
The evidence suggests he won't.
On the other hand, if another owner is panicking and selling low after last night's game, don't be afraid to buy low.
His upside is still among the highest of any starting pitcher in the league.
More Fantasy Sports On SI News Mark Morales-Smith is a father of five, a former college football scout and semi-pro football player.
Morales-Smith is a long-time competitive fantasy football player with well over a decade of professional writing experience at multiple high-level sites, including Sports Illustrated, FullTime Fantasy, FantasySP, and more.
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