Pirates aim to extend blowout binge against Cardinals

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on a historic streak of dominance that they had not achieved in a century.

On Tuesday night, Pittsburgh will host the St. Louis Cardinals with the hopes it can continue a memorable offensive surge and back up ace Paul Skenes when he opposes Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante in the second game of a three-game series.

Pittsburgh will look to extend its winning streak to a season-high five games. Each of the latest four victories featured a final margin of at least seven runs -- something the Pirates hadn't done since 1925.

Skenes, who will make his first home start since June 8, is coming off his shortest outing of the season. He lasted only four innings and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in a 4-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

Skenes (4-7, 2.12 ERA) is 0-4 against St. Louis with a 2.76 ERA in five starts -- his worst win-loss record against any opponent. This season, Skenes has lost both of his starts against the Cardinals while posting a 5.25 ERA. He allowed a season-high five runs in six innings when he faced St. Louis at home on April 8, then tossed six innings of two-run ball in a road start on May 6.

The Pirates have averaged 3.57 runs during Skenes' 17 starts, essentially the same as their overall average of 3.54 runs per contest.

However, Pittsburgh's offense has ignited over the four-game winning streak, scoring 37 runs.

"It's great, and when you start to get that production from the bottom of the order like we have lately, it takes pressure off the top," Pirates manager Don Kelly said. "Great at-bats throughout. For so long, we were searching for hits with guys on base. It was the missing ingredient, and we're doing a great job with that right now."

The Cardinals were surging entering the series after sweeping the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend and winning 10 of 13 games. Pallante will try to flip the momentum back in their favor and attempt to bounce back after losing his most recent start on Thursday against the Cubs.

Pallante (5-4, 4.43 ERA) gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two vs. Chicago, but he was not very efficient. He needed 94 pitches to complete five innings.

The 26-year-old compiled a 3.56 ERA over his 20 starts last season, but his inconsistency this season has brought questions as to whether he should be sent to the minors.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is opposed to that for now, believing Pallante is better suited to continue developing at the major league level.

"If you send him down to Triple-A, he will cut right through that league," Marmol told The Athletic recently. "His next step in his career is understanding how to continue to combat big-league hitters. He's not working on anything specific that reps at a lower level will do him any good."

Pallante, a former reliever who was moved into the Cardinals' rotation in May 2024, is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in 16 career appearances (including three starts) against the Pirates.

The Cardinals' lineup will attempt to back up Pallante and continue its success against Skenes. Alec Burleson is 6-for-15 (.400) with four RBIs vs. the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, while Nolan Arenado is 5-for-14 (.357) with a home run and two RBIs against him.