Pirates Drop Sixth Straight in Defeat to Cardinals
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates failed to use a strong start from Paul Skenes, as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
The loss makes it back-to-back vs. the Cardinals, giving the Pirates another series defeat. This is their fourth straight series defeat and ninth overall so far this season.
It is also the sixth straight loss for the Pirates, who still don't have a win in May, and they have lost 10 of their past 12 games, dropping to 12-15 overall and 5-13 on the road.
The Pirates got two runners on with two outs in the top of the first inning, as designated hitter Andrew McCutchen walked and third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes singled, but left fielder Alexander Canario struck out, ending that opportunity.
Starting pitchers in right-hander Paul Skenes for the Pirates and left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore for the Cardinals dominated through the first five innings.
Skenes posted six strikeouts, while allowing three walks and one hit and Liberatore allowed a hit and two walks and posted seven strikeouts.
Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz led off the sixth inning with a walk and would steal second base with two outs.
Hayes then came through with a double, his 500th hit in the MLB, scoring Cruz from second base and giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
Skenes would get the first two batters out in the bottom of the sixth inning, but then allowed a single to third baseman Nolan Arenado and walked designated hitter Wilson Contreras, putting two runners on for the Cardinals.
Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson came through with a double, scoring both Arenado and Contreras and the home team took a 2-1 lead.
Skenes finished the game, allowing just three hits, four walks and two earned runs, while posting six strikeouts over six innings and throwing 102 pitches.
The Pirates struggled the rest of the way, with only two singles, one from second baseman Liover Peguero, making his season debut, and from McCutchen.
Pittsburgh and St. Louis will end the series on May 7, as the home team goes for the sweep in front of their fans. First pitch is set for 1:15 p.m. (EST).
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.