Paul Skenes takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they aim to bounce back against the St. Louis Cardinals. With a record of 1-0 and an impressive 1.46 ERA, Skenes is expected to deliver a strong performance. The Pirates recently dominated the Cardinals 8-4, with Andrew McCutchen and Joey Bart contributing significantly to the offense. Pittsburgh's pitching has been solid, with Carmen Mlodzinski getting his first win after allowing only one run over five innings. On the other hand, Sonny Gray, starting for St. Louis, has a 5.73 ERA and struggled in his last outing, allowing five runs in six innings. As both teams look to improve, the odds favor the Pirates at -139.

Key betting insights show that the Cardinals' pitching has been underwhelming this season, ranking last in the National League, which has resulted in high-scoring games. The total runs for this matchup is set at 6.0, suggesting a potential opportunity for the OVER bet given recent trends.