Paul Skenes, slumping Pirates look to find footing vs. Cards

The Pittsburgh Pirates will turn to ace Paul Skenes to try to snap their longest losing skid of the season on Tuesday night when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals.

Skenes (3-3, 2.74 ERA), a right-hander, will oppose left-hander Matthew Liberatore (2-3, 3.44) in the second contest of a three-game series.

The Cardinals picked up their third straight victory after overcoming an early two-run deficit in a 6-3 win on Monday.

Struggling Pittsburgh has lost a season-high five in a row and dropped eight of its past nine overall.

Skenes is coming off his shortest and outing of the season. He pitched five innings, matched a career high with four walks and gave up a career-high three home runs while striking out only two in an 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

Skenes already has absorbed three losses after losing three overall during his National League Rookie of the Year campaign a year ago.

"Execution wasn't there. Kind of spraying the ball," Skenes said after his most recent start. "Got away with it there for a while and obviously it showed up a little bit in the fifth, but it is what it is."

Skenes also will face a Cardinals team that he has yet to beat in four career starts (0-3, 2.70 ERA). He lost to the Cardinals on April 8 at Pittsburgh when he allowed a season-high five runs over six innings in a 5-3 loss.

Liberatore's most recent start came Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, however it was cut short by the weather. He pitched only three innings, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Liberatore did not return to the mound following the lengthy rain delay and was tagged with the loss in the 9-1 game.

Prior to that, each of Liberatore's first five starts of the season lasted six or more innings. He delivered three consecutive quality starts from April 13-25, allowing three earned runs over a span of 18 2/3 innings while striking out 17 and walking just two batters.

Liberatore talked recently about how having a stable role in the Cardinals' rotation has helped him prepare for his outings.

"It's given me a much more stable runway to plan my days and make sure I'm maximizing my time on the field every day instead of just going based on what I find out the schedule might be that day," Liberatore said.

Liberatore is 1-3 with a 6.51 ERA in nine career appearances (five starts) against Pittsburgh. He allowed five runs in 6 1/3 innings of an 8-4 loss to the Pirates on April 7.

Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz was caught stealing in the third inning of Monday's game by Pedro Pages, ending a run of 35 consecutive successful stolen bases dating back to last season.

Cruz, however, made a great play in the sixth when he threw out Victor Scott II at the plate for an inning-ending double play after fielding a fly ball in center from Lars Nootbar.

--Field Level Media