The St. Louis Cardinals will be taking on their divisional rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The game gets going at 1:35 p.m. ET and the matchup will be shown on either ATPT or FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Vegas has placed equal moneyline odds (-105) on both of these teams. Bettors are able to wager on the game’s total with odds posted at even money (+100) for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. You can also bet on the game’s runline with the most recent odds standing at Cardinals -1.5 runs (+140) and Pirates +1.5 runs (-160).
The Cardinals have gone 57-54 SU this year and are 54-56 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 9.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.2 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the over has hit in four of those seven. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 57-54 SU and 52-58 ATS. The team’s gained 3.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 8.0 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread only once in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Pittsburgh games have an over/under record of 53-49-8 in 2018. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 52-54-4.
Right-hander Jack Flaherty will get the start for St. Louis. Flaherty is 4-6 with a 3.49 ERA and 111 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with 11 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA against Pittsburgh this year (three starts).
The Pirates are turning to righty Trevor Williams (9-7, 3.89 ERA), who has 77 punchouts and 40 walks to his name as well as a 1.24 WHIP. Williams is 1-1 with nine strikeouts and a 6.60 ERA over three starts against St. Louis this year.
St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.58 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8.14 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.41, along with a K-per-9 of 8.35.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .249/.324/.405 on their way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Outfielder Marcell Ozuna and third baseman Matt Carpenter continue to lead St. Louis’ hitters. Ozuna is hitting .265/.310/.389 with 13 home runs, 59 RBIs and 44 runs scored, while Carpenter is hitting .283 with 28 homers, 59 RBIs and 73 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has given up 4.6 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.26, a WHIP of 1.31 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.4. The bullpen has a 4.27 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 9.7 K/9. In 46 divisional games, Pirates starters have an ERA of 3.46 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.89.
The Pittsburgh hitters have produced 4.5 runs per outing, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .253/.316/.364 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Pirates’ hitters have been led by outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte. Dickerson is hitting .317/.351/.516 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and 50 runs scored, and Marte’s line is .288/.336/.488 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs, 59 runs and 25 steals.
The Cardinals have lost 9.2 units and are 38-41 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 34 of those games, compared to 41 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 8.3 units and are 40-40 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 34 of those games, as opposed to 39 that’ve gone under.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
St. Louis has logged 15 extra-base hits over its last five contests. Pittsburgh has 11 XBH over its last five.
The Cardinals have won three of their last four games SU.
Pittsburgh has posted 21.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.0 over its last five.
Both teams have hit nine home runs over their last 10 outings.
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