ARLINGTON -- Right off the bat, a hearty apology is due to the members of the National League Central who were forced to relive their bad memories of facing Paul Skenes -- though, for once, the rookie phenom will be on their side when he makes the start for the National League in Tuesday¡¯s All-Star Game.

That¡¯s because, gauging from their reactions when asked what advice they¡¯d give to the American League hitters, those memories are thoroughly unpleasant.

¡°They¡¯re going to ¡­ ¡± said Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz before chuckling uncontrollably, and putting his head in his hands. ¡°It's not going to be easy for them. He's nasty. He's nasty.¡±

De La Cruz started laughing to himself again -- and by the way, this is coming from the rare guy who actually has hit Skenes, as De La Cruz went 2-for-3 in their meeting. A former MVP can¡¯t say the same.

¡°Do better than the Brewers did against him,¡± came the advice from Christian Yelich. ¡°We almost got no-hit.¡±

So yeah, good luck to Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and Juan Soto, who are slated to face Skenes in the first -- and possibly only -- inning set to be thrown by the young fireballer with the five-pitch mix that includes a fastball that hits triple digits in the late innings and a unique ¡°splinker.¡±

Perhaps it¡¯s best not to think too hard about it -- and Kwan hadn't until he found out from his family group text Monday afternoon that he¡¯d be leading off.

¡°I actually -- maybe self-deprecatingly -- didn't think I would face him,¡± Kwan said. ¡°I thought I was going to be in the eight- or nine-hole, so I didn't even worry about it. I haven't even processed it.¡±

Be ready for velocity
Not processing it seems to be the name of the game. The consensus from seven other All-Stars who have faced Skenes this season is that all a hitter can really do is to be ready to hit velocity.

¡°There's not a lot of things you can do,¡± De La Cruz said. ¡°You've just got to react.¡±

"When he starts his windup, just start swinging," Isaac Paredes said.

That¡¯s a good bet, because whether it¡¯s the fastball or the splinker, it¡¯s a good bet that Skenes will be throwing something really hard. He has thrown 44% of his pitches at 95 mph or harder -- and now he¡¯ll be pitching in a shorter outing where he doesn¡¯t need to hold back.

So, gear up for velocity and hope you guess right.

¡°I just feel like you can't worry too much about everything,¡± said Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos, who is 1-for-2 vs. Skenes. ¡°All the stuff that he's got is nasty, so the best chance that you've got to hit is the fastball.¡±

¡°Get ready for 100 [mph],¡± said Pete Alonso, who is 2-for-3 off Skenes. ¡°I was ready to hit 100, and then that kind of made everything else slower.¡±

Don¡¯t get psyched out by the splinker
That splinker does carry a reputation -- as it should considering Skenes gets as much swing-and-miss with that hybrid splitter-sinker pitch (30.2% whiff rate) as he does with his heater (30.3% whiff rate). It¡¯s relatively unique, but at least Ramos had a good sense of defeatist humor about seeing it.

¡°Look for the fastball -- and swing over the split,¡± Ramos said with a laugh.

Alonso did have a mental adjustment on the splinker he felt was key -- and he¡¯s probably onto something, as both of his hits against Skenes on July 5 were off the splinker.

¡°A lot of people, when they think splitter, it's more of, like, a changeup or an offspeed pitch,¡± Alonso said. ¡°For me, it's two separate fastballs. It's a 100 mph four-seam, and a 95-96 mph sinker. I see it as two different fastballs.¡±

Just enjoy the show
Ultimately, many echoed the sentiment that it wasn¡¯t even worth planning too hard, because in an exhibition of one of the game¡¯s premier young talents, those opposing hitters, too, were simply excited to enjoy Skenes¡¯ showcase from the best vantage point in the house.

¡°He's a complete pitcher, man,¡± said Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who is hitting fourth for the AL. ¡°It's going to be fun. I think we're all excited to see him on the mound, see him do his thing in his first All-Star Game.¡±

¡°We will see how electric his fastball is,¡± Soto said.

Added Kwan: ¡°I¡¯m excited. That¡¯s going to be a generational pitching talent right there.¡±

And that¡¯s what Tuesday¡¯s first inning will be all about: Celebrating one of the game¡¯s rising young stars in front of his fans not only watching on televisions across the country, but from both All-Star clubhouses.

¡°I think people want to see the best against the best,¡± Yelich said. ¡°I'm glad that it worked out that way and you get to see him against the top of the American League lineup. Let's get it.¡±