Pirates: Paul Skenes struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings in another dominant performance, and the Pirates beat the Brewers 1-0 on Thursday in Milwaukee. Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start, 65 for strikes. The All-Star right-hander walked one while lowering his ERA to 1.90. “It just comes down to going out there and executing,” Skenes said. “So, if strikeouts are what that looks like, then so be it. It’s just about getting outs.” Colin Holderman replaced Skenes (6-0) and surrendered a leadoff single to Jake Bauers for the Brewers’ first hit in the eighth. The Brewers loaded the bases with two down, but Holderman escaped the jam when he struck out William Contreras swinging. Aroldis Chapman handled the ninth for his fourth save, finishing a two-hitter for the Pirates. The NL Central-leading Brewers lost for the fifth time in seven games. Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft out of LSU, struck out 11 while pitching six no-hit innings in his second start for the Pirates on May 17 at the Cubs. He has permitted two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 major league starts. “I don’t think anybody thinks that when you come to the big leagues, it’s going to be like this,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.

Phillies: Zack Wheeler will skip his scheduled start on Sunday and use the upcoming All-Star break to recover from nagging back issues. Wheeler, a two-time NL All-Star, left his last start, a 10-1 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday, after five innings because of back spasms. After the game, the 34-year-old right-hander said he had been dealing with the back issue for weeks. Wheeler had an MRI on Wednesday that showed no structural damage. He reported still being sore Wednesday, but manager Rob Thomson said Thursday that his pitcher was feeling better. Wheeler is 10-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 19 starts for the major league-leading Phillies. “We’re going to be precautionary,” Thomson said.

Extra innings: Marcus Semien of the host Rangers will replace the Astros’ Jose Altuve as the AL’s starting second baseman for the All-Star Game. Altuve will rest his left hand, which has been sore since he was hit by a 94.3 mph slider from the Twins’ Josh Winder on July 5. Twins INF/OF Willi Castro replaces Altuve on the AL roster, and Orioles OF Anthony Santander took the spot of the Astros’ Kyle Tucker, out since June 3 because of a bruised right shin. Castro and Santander increase the total of first-time All-Stars to 36. ... Sean Burroughs, a two-time Little League World Series champ who played in the majors before substance abuse interrupted his career, died of fentanyl intoxication. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office released its findings on the May 9 death this week. Burroughs won gold with the U.S. baseball team at the 2000 Olympics. He was a career .278 hitter, with 12 HRs and 143 RBIs in seven seasons.