Paul Skenes continues to make history in his second season in the majors, but he knows he likely has only a few more chances to bolster his case for his first Cy Young Award.

The next opportunity comes Thursday night when Skenes opposes Blake Snell as the host Pittsburgh Pirates try to complete a three-game sweep of the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Skenes (9-9, 2.05 ERA) owns a 2.01 career ERA, that best by any pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920) through his first 51 career starts.

The right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in three career starts against the Dodgers. Skenes tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings and struck out nine while allowing only five hits and no walks to earn a 3-0 win in Los Angeles on April 25.

The Pirates (63-77), who are 51-51 since Don Kelly

See Full Page