Paul Skenes Got Shelled in the First Inning and the Cardinals Just Swept Pittsburgh

The St. Louis Cardinals came to PNC Park and made quick work of the Pittsburgh Pirates, rolling to a 10-5 victory Thursday to complete a four-game series sweep. And it all started before most fans even settled into their seats.

JJ Wetherholt launched a 391-foot homer to right field to lead off the game, giving St. Louis an immediate 1-0 lead. Then things got ugly fast for Pirates fans. Ivan Herrera followed with an infield single, and Jordan Walker came up and smoked a 2-1 sweeper into the left field bleachers. Just like that, it was 3-0 Cardinals in the first inning off reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.

Skenes Couldn't Find His Rhythm

This was a rough outing for the Pirates ace. Skenes allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits over five innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out a season-high nine batters, but the damage was already done. In his previous start at Milwaukee, Skenes had flirted with a perfect game while allowing just one hit over seven innings. Thursday was a completely different story.

The Cardinals kept pounding him. Alec Burleson went 3-for-5 with three RBIs on the day, while Nathan Church added a two-run double. Pedro Pages and Nolan Gorman each collected two hits for a Cardinals team that finished with 14 total hits. The Cardinals extended their lead to 4-0 in the third, then answered a Pirates run in the fourth by scoring again in the fifth to push it to 5-1.

Pirates Fought Back, But Not Enough

Pittsburgh wasn't completely lifeless. Bryan Reynolds had two doubles with two RBIs, and Brandon Lowe homered with an RBI double to help cut the deficit to 5-4. But St. Louis blew the game wide open with five runs in the eighth inning off reliever Isaac Mattson, with Church's two-run double off the top of the fence in right-center and a two-run single by Burleson putting it out of reach.

The loss was Pittsburgh's fifth straight. Gordon Graceffo (2-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief. It's a rough stretch for a Pirates team that showed some fight but couldn't overcome that brutal first inning.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.