The St. Louis Cardinals are squaring off against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. The game gets going at 8:15 p.m. ET and the matchup will be televised on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Pittsburgh (+130) is entering this game as the underdog to St. Louis (-140) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this game at 8 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -120 for the over and +100 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds coming in at Pirates +1.5 runs (-170) and Cardinals -1.5 runs (+150).
The Pirates are 71-72 SU and are 69-73 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 0.1 units for moneyline bettors and 10.6 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 80-64 SU and 76-67 ATS. The team’s gained 3.3 units for moneyline bettors and 8.6 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.
Cardinals games have had an over/under record of 65-72-6 in 2018. The Pirates have also been a decent under bet with a total record of 62-70-10.
The right-handed Joe Musgrove is the probable starter for the visiting Pirates. Musgrove is 6-8 with a 3.75 ERA and 88 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with 14 strikeouts and a 3.46 ERA against St. Louis this year (two starts).
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the hands of righty Miles Mikolas (14-4, 3.06 ERA), who has 119 strikeouts and 27 walks, as well as a 1.13 WHIP. Mikolas is 0-2 with 19 strikeouts and a 3.38 ERA across four starts against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitching staff has allowed 4.1 runs per game overall this season. The team’s starters have an ERA of 3.38, a WHIP of 1.25 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.0. The bullpen has a 4.28 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 8.1 K/9. In 68 games against divisional opponents, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.47 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.33.
St. Louis’ offense has put up 4.6 runs per outing, including 4.6 per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .250/.293/.427 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
The Cardinals’ hitters have been led by first baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Marcell Ozuna. Martinez is hitting .305/.363/.456 with 16 home runs, 79 RBIs and 54 runs scored, and Ozuna is hitting .280 with 21 homers, 76 RBIs and 61 runs scored.
For the visitors, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 4.03 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 7.44 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.99, along with a K-per-9 of 9.67.
The Pirates offense has slashed .254/.320/.407 on its way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Pittsburgh’s hitters have been paced by outfielders Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson. Marte is slashing .277/.320/.459 with 19 home runs, 66 RBIs, 72 runs and 31 stolen bases, while Dickerson (.289/.318/.450) is up to 11 homers, 47 RBIs and 56 runs scored.
The Pirates have gained 5.8 units and are 50-51 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has cashed in 38 of those games, as opposed to 54 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 1.0 units and are 54-48 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 42 of those games, compared to 55 which went under the total.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
Pittsburgh has tallied 20 extra-base hits over its last five contests. St. Louis has 13 XBH over its last five.
The Pirates have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
St. Louis has recorded 21.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 21.6 over its last five.
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