The St. Louis Cardinals secured a 10-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in their series finale at PNC Park. Rookies JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker hit home runs off reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who fell to 0-5 against St. Louis. The win capped a series sweep for the Cardinals.
In Thursday afternoon's game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, the Cardinals handled Skenes effectively, scoring five runs off him in five innings, four earned. Wetherholt, a Mars, Pa. native, led off with his first career home run on a 107.7 mph fastball from Skenes. His seven homers in 31 games tie J.D. Drew for second-most by a Cardinals player in that span, behind Albert Pujols' 10. Walker added a two-run homer in the left-field corner, bringing his season total to nine and snapping a power slump since April 13. Skenes struck out former high school teammate Nathan Church twice, but Church's Cardinals prevailed. Church and Skenes played together at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif., where Skenes called Church a 'veteran presence.' Starter Hunter Dobbins debuted for St. Louis, facing the minimum through three innings before issuing five walks and allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. The Pirates narrowed the gap to 5-4 on Brandon Lowe's solo homer off JoJo Romero in the seventh, but St. Louis erupted for five runs in the eighth to seal the win. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol praised his team's focus against Skenes. 'You never want to ask for Skenes,' Marmol said. 'But at the same time, I think it brought out the best in everyone.' Wetherholt noted the tone-setting swing: 'It felt great... especially against an arm like that.' Walker emphasized versatility: 'Just be able to contribute and try to get the runs in, no matter how you can.' The Pirates are now 1-6 in Skenes' starts against St. Louis.
