Paul Skenes hit hard as Pirates' losing streak reaches 5 with Cardinals sweep

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Apr 30, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — Even Paul Skenes couldn’t avoid a Cardinals sweep.

The Pirates’ losing skid reached five on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park, as the St. Louis Cardinals completed a four-game sweep of the Pirates with a 10-5 win. Skenes was charged for five runs, matching a career high, then the Cardinals put the series away with a five-run eighth inning.

The Cardinals outhit the Pirates 14-7.

The Pirates had hoped Skenes could play stopper and help the team avoid a sweep to their division rivals, only to see those hopes dashed four batters in. Skenes allowed a leadoff homer to JJ Wetherholt on the third pitch of the game; Ivan Herrera reached on a Nick Gonzales error (changed in the scorebook to an infield single); then Jordan Walker hit a towering two-run homer to put the Cardinals up three.

Somehow, the Pirates had a chance until late. They got a run back in the fourth, when Bryan Reynolds doubled and Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins, making his season debut, promptly walked the next three batters. (Konnor Griffin grounded out to leave the bases loaded.) Reynolds hit a two-run double against Dobbins in the fifth, then Brandon Lowe homered against lefty JoJo Romero in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-4.

But the Pirates spiraled late. After a leadoff single against Isaac Mattson, Reynolds lost a liner in the lights — an error that was, again, changed in the scorebook to a single. Nolan Church scored both with a double off the right-center field wall, followed by a two-run single from Alec Burleson off Chris Devenski and an RBI single from Walker.

Skenes and Mattson entered the game with the longest scoreless innings streaks in the majors, spanning 16 and 15 1/3 innings, respectively. Both were charged with five runs on Thursday.

It was over when ...

This one never felt like a one-run game, even for the brief moment when it was. Skenes dug too great a hole, then Church’s two-run double officially ended any doubt.

On the mound

Skenes ended up needing 102 pitches to complete five innings, the highest pitch count for a Pirate this year. He struck out nine but also allowed seven hits and five runs, four earned. He is now 0-5 with a 3.16 ERA against St. Louis.

Mattson walked two batters and had his first bad outing of the year. However, it’s hard not to wonder what his line would have been had Reynolds come up with the routine lineout.

At the plate

Lowe went 2 for 5 and added an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth.

Nick Gonzales saw his 10-game hitting streak end, though he reached twice on a hit by pitch and a walk.

Most valuable player

Both Burleson and Walker drove in three runs, but Wetherholt finished the series with a flurry. The Mars product finished the game 2 for 4 with a homer, a walk, two runs and an RBI. Five of his six hits in his first series at PNC Park went for extra bases.

Up next

The Pirates play three more National League Central games, as the Cincinnati Reds come to town for the weekend starting Friday night at 6:45 p.m. Mitch Keller (2-1, 3.18 ERA) will start for Pittsburgh against Reds right-hander Brady Singer (2-1, 4.97).