It was Paul Skenes Night as the Pirates opened a three-game weekend series vs. the Mariners at PNC Park on Friday evening.

Unfortunately, a Paul Skenes game feels like Fireworks Night when it’s raining in Pittsburgh these days; that’s thanks to a 10-game slide that saw the Buccos go from contenders to toast in the race for one of the three National League wildcard slots.

But Skenes is still quite the draw despite the team’s recent struggles; over 27,000 Buccos faithful poured into PNC Park on Friday to watch the rookie pitching phenom, who entered the game with a 6-2 mark and a 2.25 ERA, do his thing.

Skenes wasn’t his sharpest (something I’ve been saying a lot lately), but he still had a decent outing (another thing I’ve been saying a lot lately), and he managed to hold Seattle scoreless through the first three innings. But in the top of the fourth, following a walk to Jorge Polanco, first baseman Luke Raley cracked a no-doubt, two-run homer to right field to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

The home team quickly struck back in the bottom of the frame when Isiah Kiner-Falefa doubled home Bryan Reynolds to cut the deficit in half.

In the bottom of the fifth, catcher Yasmani Grandal tied the score with a one-out home run to right field. Michael A. Taylor then singled, immediately stole second and reached third base on an error. Andrew McCutchen brought Taylor home with a sacrifice fly to shallow left field to give the Bucs the lead.

Skenes found himself in trouble in the top of the sixth when two Mariners reached base with just one out. But Dominic Canzone grounded into a double play to end the inning and Skenes’s night. All-in-all, Skenes pitched six innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits. He struck out six and walked a career-high four batters.

But Skenes did exit with the lead and left it up to the struggling bullpen to preserve it. Thankfully, the offense added on in the bottom of the seventh when Oneil Cruz drove in both Taylor and Ji Hwan Bae with a double to make it 5-2. Bae came on to pinch run for McCutchen who injured his knee while running to first base on a single to left. Cruz also had to leave the game after suffering what appeared to be an ankle injury on his two-run double.

Closer David Bednar, who has struggled mightily in recent weeks, came on to save the game in the top of the ninth inning and immediately allowed a home run and single. Fortunately, he managed to recapture his All-Star form (at least for that inning) and struck out the next three hitters to end the game and the Pirates losing streak.

Bednar earned his 21st save, while Skenes improved to 7-2 on the season.

The Pirates will try to make it two in a row as they take on Seattle in Game 2 of the series Saturday at 1:05 p.m.