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Andre Pallante allowed just four hits over seven innings as the St. Louis Cardinals blanked the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 on Monday.

Pallante (7-8) struck out a career-high nine batters and walked one as the Cardinals (75-75) snapped their three-game losing streak.

Andrew Kittredge tossed a perfect eighth inning for the Cardinals and Ryan Fernandez did the same in the ninth to wrap up the opener of a four-game series.

Paul Skenes (10-3) allowed one run on four hits in six innings for the Pirates (71-79), who lost for the third time in four games. Skenes struck out seven and walked one while lowering his ERA to 2.07.

Pittsburgh reliever Kyle Nicolas exited the with an injury in the eighth inning after walking the only batter he faced.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the game with a single and advanced on a one-out groundout, but Pallante struck out Connor Joe to strand him.

Skenes retired the first 10 hitters he faced until Alec Burleson led off the fourth inning with a single. Burleson took second on a disengagement balk, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Nolan Arenado’s single to put the Cardinals up 1-0.

The Cardinals threatened again in the sixth inning. Masyn Winn hit a one-out single and Burleson walked, but Skenes retired the next two batters.

Bryan De La Cruz reached on an infield single with one out in the bottom of the seventh and continued to second base on a throwing error. However, after Yasmani Grandal walked, Pallante retired the next two batters to end the threat.

Ryan Borucki replaced Skenes and didn’t retire a batter in the seventh. Brendan Donovan walked, Lars Nootbaar reached on an error by Borucki and Jordan Walker walked to load the bases.

Pedro Pages greeted reliever Colin Holderman with an RBI single to put the Cardinals up 2-0, but Holderman prevented further damage.

The Cardinals increased their lead to 4-0 in the eighth inning. Paul Goldschmidt walked of Nicolas to open the frame. Arenado singled against Jalen Beeks, Donovan hit an RBI double, and Nootbaar lifted a sacrifice fly.

–Field Level Media