PITTSBURGH — Alec Burleson’s magical summer added another highlight on Tuesday night – getting the hit that handed Paul Skenes the first loss of his major-league career.
After Skenes handcuffed the Cardinals for eight innings, the Pirates and Cardinals were tied at 1 in the ninth inning when Michael Siani led off with a double and scored on Burleson’s single, which came an 0-2 pitch and was Skenes’ 104th and final pitch of the night.
Skenes, who started the All-Star game last week, had allowed only one run and two hits over the first eight innings, the run coming on a home run from Nolan Arenado.
The Pirates then tied the game in the eighth inning to set the stage for the ninth, the deepest Skenes – who had been 6-0 to start his career – has pitched in a game this season. He finished with four hits allowed in 8 1/3 innings, did not walk a batter and struck out eight.
After Burleson’s hit gave the Cardinals the lead, Ryan Helsley struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to earn his 33rd save.
This was the sixth time in the eight games between the Cardinals and Pirates this year that ended up a one-run game with each team winning three of those games.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals had only two baserunners against Skenes through the first eight innings. Nolan Gorman beat out an infield single with one out in the third before Arenado led off the fifth with his 10th home run, lining Skenes’ first pitch of the inning over the left-field wall … Skenese struck out the next three hitters afte the home run, and retired 24 of 26 batters before the ninth … Paul Goldschmidt struck out three times.
On the mound: Lance Lynn shut out the Pirates for the first five innings, getting out of bases-loaded jams in both the second and fifth innings … Lynn’s strikeout of Jared Triolo to end the fourth was the 2,000th strikeout of his major-league career … In the eighth, Oneill Cruz doubled with one out off JoJo Romero and scored on a single by Nick Gonzales to tie the game. Andrew Kittredge relieved and got an inning-ending double play to keep the game tied … Helsley needed just 13 pitches to strike out the side in the bottom of the ninth.
Key stat: The RBI was the 22nd of the month for Burleson, the most in the National League. He has driven in one more run than the Phillies’ Trea Turner in July while hitting .347.
Worth noting: Arenado’s home run gave him bragging rights against Skenes, who also is a product of El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif. Arenado graduated in 2009 and Skenes in 2020 … The Cardinals officially signed infielder J.J. Wetherholt, their top pick in the amateur draft earlier this month. He will likely begin his pro career later this week with the Class A Palm Beach Cardinals … The Cardinals have signed 18 of their 19 draft selections.
Looking ahead: The Cardinals will start Matthew Liberatore in Wednesday’s day game, making the final game of the series a bullpen game.
