Andre Pallante outduels Paul Skenes to lead St. Louis to 4-0 win over Pittsburgh

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andre Pallante outdueled rookie Paul Skenes, striking out a career-high nine over seven innings to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on Monday night.

“I'm very focused on me versus the hitters," Pallante said. “I'm just trying to pitch the best I can regardless of who I'm going against. He's a really good pitcher. You kind of know it's going to be a tight game, but I'm glad we pulled ahead."

Pallante (7-8) allowed four hits and one walk. Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Fernandez each pitched a perfect inning, finishing a four-hitter and the ninth shutout for the Cardinals this season.

“He just pounded the zone,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Pallante. “He got ahead of everybody, and the slider was a big pitch for him. He landed that a ton."

Skenes (10-3) gave up one run and four hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and one walk, falling to 0-2 in three starts against St. Louis.

“I had to do some things I haven't done, necessarily,” Skenes said. “At this point of the season, they've seen everything, so it turns into playing the game of baseball. We had a good plan and executed it pretty well.”

Skenes’ 2.07 ERA is the second-lowest through a pitcher’s first 21 starts since ERA became an official statistic in both leagues in 1913, trailing only Steve Rogers’ 1.95 for Montreal in 1973 and 74.

“I think it speaks to how good he is,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “He's faced teams in the division multiple times, and they've gotten a look at him. He's made adjustments off it, using the fastball tonight, using the changeup.”

Skenes threw his 94th pitch of 100 mph or more, retiring Paul Goldschmidt on a grounder that ended a nine-pitch at-bat in the fourth inning. No other starting pitcher has thrown more than 40 pitches of at least 100 mph this season.

Nolan Arenado hit an RBI single in the fourth after Alec Burleson reached on a grounder to shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa that was originally ruled an error and then was changed to a hit.

Pedro Pagés greeted Colin Holderman with an RBI single in the seventh. Brendan Donovan had an RBI double in the ninth and Lars Nootbaar followed with a sacrifice fly.

“He's good, man.” Arenado said of Skenes. “I thought we battled pretty good. He made some great pitches. We found a way to scrap that game. Credit to Pallante who went out there and was pitching a great game for us."

Nick Yorke started at second base for Pittsburgh and went 0 for 3 with a stolen base in his major league debut. Yorke's contract was selected from Indianapolis and the Pirates optioned Alika Williams to their Triple-A farm team.

Yorke, 22, was the 17th overall pick by Boston in the 2020 amateur draft and was acquired from the Red Sox on July 30 for right-hander Quinn Priester. Yorke hit .355 with two home runs and 26 RBIs in 40 games for Indianapolis.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: OF Oneil Cruz was held out of the lineup with left ankle discomfort that manager Derek Shelton says is related to his ankle fracture that caused him to miss a majority of the 2023 season. ... RHP Kyle Nicolas left with a member of the Pittsburgh medical staff after walking Goldschmidt, his only batter, leading off the eighth. Shelton said it was a left side injury but did not have any additional information.

Cardinals: C Willson Contreras (fractured right middle finger) will miss the remainder of the regular season.

UP NEXT

Pirates LHP Bailey Falter (8-7, 4.20 ERA) will face Cardinals RHP Lance Lynn (6-4, 3.96 ERA) Tuesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

St. Louis Cardinals' Pedro Pages heads to first on an RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages follows through on an RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado, right, scores past Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal during the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan, left, is tagged out by Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal during the eighth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado (28) and Paul Goldschmidt (46) celebrate a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates following a baseball game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes pauses after giving up an RBI single to St. Louis Cardinals' Nolan Arenado during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante celebrates after striking out Pittsburgh Pirates' Jared Triolo to end the top of the seventh inning of a baseball game Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jake Sanderson scored 15 seconds into overtime and the Ottawa Senators stretched their win streak to six games with a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

It’s the first time since March 2017 that Ottawa has won six in a row.

Shane Pinto scored twice for the Senators, Claude Giroux added a goal and Josh Norris scored short-handed. Sanderson also contributed a pair of assists.

Leevi Merilainen stopped 21 shots to earn his first NHL victory.

Brock Boeser scored twice for the Canucks, and Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists. Jake DeBrusk rounded out the scoring for a Vancouver side that lost its third straight outing (0-1-2). Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves.

Canucks: The team has lost four of its last five outings and some of its top stars have gone cold offensively. J.T. Miller has not scored in the six games he’s played since returning from a 10-game absence, Elias Pettersson does not have a point in his last six outings and Conor Garland last recorded a goal on Nov. 29.

Senators: Merilainen stepped in for Linus Ullmark, who has been a superstar for Ottawa in recent weeks. Heading into Saturday, Ullmark had powered the team to five straight victories after backup Anton Forsberg went down with an injury during a pre-game skate on Dec. 14.

Boeser knotted the score at 4 with 4:50 left in the game when he blasted a rebound past Merilainen.

Hughes now has 40 points on the season (eight goals, 32 assists). He is the seventh defenseman in NHL history to hit the mark in 33 or fewer games in multiple seasons.

The Senators visit the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, and the Canucks host the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) scores on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) during overtime of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen (1) stops the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Brock Boeser, right, celebrates his goal against the Ottawa Senators with Quinn Hughes (43) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson (85) celebrates his game-winning goal with Brady Tkachuk (7) after overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)