The St. Louis Cardinals began an intense interdivisional matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. St. Louis rode the momentum of their 8-5 win over the Colorado Rockies into the game. However, rising Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes had other plans. Skenes put on an incredible display, and as a result, he received stunning treatment from the Cardinals crowd.
Skenes amassed eight strikeouts through 6.1 scoreless innings, and the St. Louis crowd gave him a standing ovation for his efforts, as shown by MLB on Fox:
Paul Skenes' performance helped the Pirates beat the Cardinals 2-1. St. Louis fell to 31-34, while Pittsburgh improved to 32-34. Skenes' ascent since his Major League debut has been highly promising.
The Pirates selected Skenes with the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He bided his time in the minor leagues while awaiting the call to join Pittsburgh. The team finally called him up after an encouraging developmental period.
Skenes made five starts in the minor leagues in 2023, one at Rookie Ball, and two in both Single-A and Double-A. He posted a 5.40 ERA in short run, throwing just 6.2 innings.
Then in 2024, he made seven starts for Triple-A Indianapolis and did not record a win or loss. His ERA was at 0.99 and he threw 27.1 innings, giving up just 17 hits while striking out 45 batters.
Since joining the Pirates' major league roster, Skenes has shown his enticing potential. In six appearances, the 22-year-old has gone 3-0, thrown 46 strikeouts, and amassed a 2.43 ERA with 0.93 WHIP. If he continues to work hard, Paul Skenes will see more success on the mound.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are looking for success of their own as the middle part of the season approaches.
Cardinals look for spark amid subpar NL Central showing
Rumors suggest that the Cardinals plan to buy at the MLB trade deadline, reinforcing their efforts to win.
“The Cardinals plan on buying at the deadline; acquiring another veteran starting pitcher is their main — and only — current target,” The Athletic's Jim Bowden revealed.
“However, if things go south, don’t be surprised if they deal veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who will be a free agent after this season, and closer Ryan Helsley, who would immediately become the best-available closer on the market and could fetch a huge return. In that scenario, Goldschmidt going to the Astros, Mariners or Yankees could make sense, and Helsley heading to the Orioles or Dodgers would be a game-changer for either club. Helsley is under team control through next season,” Bowden added.
Goldschmidt is having a down year for St. Louis. Through 68 games, the 28-year-old first baseman bats a .120 average, has hit seven home runs, and has been responsible for 25 RBI with a .646 OPS. His production is a stark contrast to 2023. Most notably, Goldschmidt held a .268 average during the prior season. It will be interesting to see if St. Louis will part ways with him ahead of the deadline.
Furthermore, the Cardinals retain the services of Sonny Gray but could use more help on the defensive side. Regardless of what happens, St. Louis plans to play hard to turn things around and climb the NL Central standings.
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