Paul Skenes Got Shelled in the First Inning and the Cardinals Swept Pittsburgh Without Breaking a Sweat
The St. Louis Cardinals just finished demolishing the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-5 on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, and it all started before most fans even grabbed their nachos. Two home runs in the opening frame off reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes set the tone for a four-game series sweep that left Pittsburgh looking completely outmatched.
The First Inning Was a Disaster for the Pirates
JJ Wetherholt led off the game with a 391-foot bomb to right field for his seventh home run of the season, putting the Cardinals up 1-0 in a hurry. Then Ivan Herrera followed with an infield single and scored when Jordan Walker crushed a 2-1 sweeper into the left field bleachers for his ninth homer. Just like that, it was 3-0 Cards before you could blink. Skenes, who came into this game riding high after nearly perfect stuff in his last start at Milwaukee, got absolutely worked in that first inning and never really recovered.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiSt. Louis Kept the Pressure On All Day
The Cardinals weren't done piling on either. Alec Burleson went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and finished with two hits, while Nathan Church added a huge two-run double. Walker ended up with three RBIs total and two hits. The offense was relentless, finishing with 14 hits overall. Pedro Pages and Nolan Gorman also chipped in two hits each.
Skenes took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits over five innings. He didn't walk a batter but struck out a season-high nine batters. The Pirates made some noise with Bryan Reynolds ripping two doubles and driving in two runs, and Brandon Lowe hit a 416-foot homer with an RBI double. Pittsburgh suffered its fifth straight loss and got shut down by Gordon Graceffo, who picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief.
The Cardinals broke it open with five runs in the eighth inning off Pirates reliever Isaac Mattson, putting this one out of reach. Another dominant performance from a team that just swept Pittsburgh completely.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.