Rays 2 Pirates 4: There is no shame in getting bested by Paul Skenes

It was the top of the first inning and something very strange was happening.

A Rays pitcher — in this case Ryan Pepiot — threw four balls to a player, who then took first base.

This, I’ve been told, is called a “walk,” and we hadn’t seen one from a Rays pitcher since Opening Day, when Pepiot and Pete Fairbanks had give up a total of three.

It was one sign that, while the Rays pitching was certainly not terrible, we were not looking at an elite, sterling performance.

Or at least we weren’t looking at an elite performance from the Rays.

We certainly knew runs would be hard to come by, facing last year’s Rookie of the Year, the acclaimed Paul Skenes. He delivered as expected, allowing the Rays just…