Pirates

Pirates Preview: Paul Skenes Looks for First Win Since May

Published

1 week ago

July 1, 2025

Photo provided by Matt Lynch

The Pittsburgh Pirates kept on rolling with a 7-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night at PNC Park to extend their winning streak to four games.

Andrew Heaney carried a no hitting into the sixth inning and Spencer Horwitz homered as part of a three-RBI game to let the Bucs cruise to a win.

The Pirates (36-50) will look for their season-high fifth straight win behind ace Paul Skenes against the Cardinals (47-39) on Tuesday night.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh and 93.7 The Fan.

Weather

Some rain showers earlier in the day should clear up before first pitch. Mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid 70s and winds WSW at 4-5 mph.

RHP Paul Skenes (4-7, 2.12 ERA) Will Start For the Pirates

Skenes had a rare tough start in his last outing against the Brewers in Milwaukee, when he allowed four runs in 4.0 innings.

It was the first time since May 1 that Skenes allowed more than two runs in a start. In nine starts from May 6 to June 19, the right-hander posted a 1.21 ERA.

Despite posting a 2.05 ERA, Skenes went winless in the month of June. His last win came in a start against the Diamondbacks in Arizona on May 28.

Skenes has made five starts against the Cardinals and has a 2.76 ERA against them. He’s winless in his career against St. Louis (0-4).

RHP Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.43 ERA) Will Start For the Cardinals

Pallante last pitched against the Cubs on Thursday and allowed a pair of runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings.

It’s been an up and down couple months for the right-hander, who has a 4.94 ERA across 13 starts after posting a 2.20 ERA through his first three starts of the season.

Pallante is an extreme ground ball pitcher. He ranks in the 98th percentile with a 62.7% ground ball rate on the season.

In his career against the Pirates, Pallante is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA in three appearances/one start.

Cardinals Hitters vs. Skenes

Alec Burleson: 6 for 15, one double, four RBI, one walk, three strikeouts
Masyn Winn: 2 for 15, three strikeouts
Nolan Arenado: 5 for 14, one double, one home run, two RBI, one walk, two strikeouts
Brendan Donovan: 4 for 13, one double, one RBI
Michael Siani: 1 for 10, one double, four strikeouts
Pedro Pagés: 1 for 7, one RBI, two strikeouts
Willson Contreras: 0 for 7, two walks, four strikeouts
Lars Nootbaar: 0 for 7, one walk, three strikeouts
Nolan Gorman: 1 for 6, two strikeouts
Victor Scott II: 1 for 5, one triple, two RBI
Yohel Pozo: 0 for 3

Pirates Hitters vs. Pallante

Bryan Reynolds: 2 for 17, two home runs, three RBI, two strikeouts
Ke’Bryan Hayes: 2 for 9, one walk, two strikeouts
Andrew McCutchen: 2 for 8, one double, three walks, two strikeouts
Nick Gonzales: 0 for 6, two strikeouts
Oneil Cruz: 2 for 5, one RBI, two walks, one strikeout
Tommy Pham: 1 for 5, one walk, two strikeouts
Joey Bart: 0 for 5, one walk, one strikeout
Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 2 for 4, one double, one walk
Jared Triolo: 1 for 3, two strikeouts

Tidbits

This is the first time since 1911 the Pirates have won four-straight games while scoring seven or more runs and holding their opponent to two runs or fewer in each win.
The Pirates’ +33 run differential over their last four games is their best in a four-game span since 1975.
Spencer Horwitz joined John Jaso and Gary Redus as the only Pirates’ first basemen since at least 1900 to hit a leadoff home run in a regular season game.