Andre Pallante, Cardinals, start last home game against Paul Skenes, Pirates: First pitch

St. Louis was overrun in Toronto over the weekend.

Right-hander Andre Pallante (6-8, 4.13) will be on the mound for the Cardinals. Pallante has been one of the team's most reliable starters for much of the season and has a 5.74 ERA in his last three starts.

He is just 5 2/3 innings away from his MLB season record for innings pitched.

The Pirates will counter with right-hander Paul Skenes (10-2, 2.10), one of the best rookies in baseball.

Skenes, the top draft pick in 2023, has a 0-1 record and a 1.23 ERA in two starts against the Cardinals.

In his last 15 starts, Skenes has allowed more than two earned runs only once, and his ERA has led baseball since his debut on May 11.

The Cardinals are 74-75, third in the NL Central and seven games out of the final wild-card spot. St. Louis has won just three of its last nine games. With 49 runs scored in September, the Cardinals are second to last in the National League.

The Pirates are in last place in the NL Central at 71-78. After avoiding a sweep by beating Kansas City on Sunday, the Pirates have won five of seven games.

The Pirates are one of the weakest offensive clubs in the National League and are second to last in the OPS with .674 for the season, two places worse than St. Louis.

St. Louis, which has won five of its nine meetings with the Pirates this year, has already surpassed last year's record against Pittsburgh. The Redbirds are 4-9 against the Bucs in 2023, their only season series loss to Pittsburgh in the last 10 years.

1. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS

Willson Contreras (broken finger): The catcher broke the middle finger of his right hand when he was hit by a pitch on August 24. He was examined on Monday and it was determined that he will not return during the regular season because he would need two more weeks to be able to swing a bat. Updated on September 16