Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
At 6:40 PM ET, the Cardinals and Pirates face off in an NL Central matchup. This one is taking place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and the Cardinals are currently on a two-game winning streak, putting them at 52-47 for the season. The Pirates are 3rd in the NL Central, with a record of 50-49, and they are favored on the money line today at -132.
The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and BSMW will be televising this one. Monday’s starting pitching matchup features Andre Pallante for the Cardinals and Mitch Keller for the Pirates.
Check out BetCoco for Pittsburgh Pirates – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Trends and Key Stats
- Over the course of their previous five away games, the Cardinals have recorded a 4-1 record, with a 5-0 performance on the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Pirates have a 4-1 (SU) record, along with a 3-2 record in their last five home contests.
- Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Pirates have a straight-up record of 8-2, while going 5-5 against the runline.
- Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Cardinals have a straight-up record of 6-4 and a 8-2 record vs. the runline.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Alec Burleson had a big game for the Cardinals in their 6-2 win over the Braves to close out their series. He went 2/5 with a homer and two RBIs. The Cardinals really broke things open with a three-run 8th inning. St. Louis was the +123 underdog on the road going into this matchup.
Miles Mikolas started for the Cardinals, going six innings and giving up just two runs on seven hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and got the win.
St. Louis is on the road today to take on the Pirates, and they are five games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals are 52-47 overall and 15-14 against other teams in the division. St. Louis has won two straight games and closed out their series vs. the Braves with a win.
At home, the Cardinals are 26-22 this season, and they have gone 26-25 on the road. As the underdog on the road, the Cardinals are 16-19 this season and 24-24 as the underdog overall. St. Louis’ overall series record is 16-12-3 and they have won two straight series on the road.
St. Louis is 50-49 against the run line this season, including a 25-26 mark on the road. The Cardinals have covered the run line in five straight road games and are 31-17 as an underdog on the run line this season. The average run margin in their wins is +2.6, while it is -3.5 in their losses.
St. Louis has played in 47 games with an over/under line of 8.5 runs this season, and the over has hit in 22 of those games. The Cardinals’ games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record for the season is 47-49. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs, and 22.2% of their games have had an over/under line of 8.5 runs.
Right-hander Andre Pallante gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. Pallante has made eight starts this year and has a record of 4-4 with an ERA of 4.21. In his 17 appearances, he has a WHIP of 1.38 and has issued 3.33 walks per nine innings compared to 7.19 strikeouts. Pallante’s last outing came on July 10th, where he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts.
So far this season, the Cardinals offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. Overall, they are batting a collective .247, which is 10th in the league. One area where they have struggled is in the power department, as they are 18th in home runs and have a team ISO of just .142. Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman are tied for the team lead in homers, and Burleson’s 59 RBIs are the best mark on the team and 11th in the league.
Over his last 10 games, Burleson has gone 16/42 with five home runs and 17 RBIs. Brendan Donovan is batting .274 for the season and has gone deep nine times. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Gorman are also tied for the team lead in homers but have batting averages of just .225 and .205, respectively.
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Phillies with a 6-0 loss. This was especially tough, as they were the slight favorite at +106 on the money line. Things really got away from the Pirates in the 2nd inning, as the Phillies scored two runs to take the lead. Pittsburgh’s offense didn’t score their first run until the 7th.
Marco Gonzales got the start for the Pirates and took the loss. He only lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on six hits. Offensively, the Pirates only had three fewer hits than the Phillies but didnjson’t score a run. Joey Bart had two hits and scored the team’s only run.
Pittsburgh is 50-49 overall this season, and they are seven games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates kick off their series vs. the Cardinals, who are 2nd in the division, two games ahead of the Pirates. These two teams are 15-14 in the division this year.
At home, the Pirates are 24-25 compared to 26-24 on the road. Pittsburgh has won six straight games when favored and they are 21-19 overall as the favorite. As the underdog, the Pirates are 29-30 this year, and they have won three straight series overall (14-12-5).
The Pirates have been a solid run line bet this season, going 55-44 overall. They have been especially good on the road, going 30-20 against the run line. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 40-19 against the run line. They have been a bad bet as the favorite, going just 15-25 against the run line.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is right on par with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ combined run average this season. The Pirates have played in 62 games with over/under lines set at 8.5 runs, and the over has hit in 19 of those contests. Pittsburgh’s over/under record for the season is 46-52, and the under has hit in each of their last two games.
Mitch Keller has made 19 starts this season and has a record of 10-5 with an ERA of 3.46. So far, he has turned in 10 quality starts and has a WHIP of 1.25. Keller’s last outing came against the White Sox, where he finished with a no-decision. In that start, he went three innings, giving up two earned runs, three hits, and one homer. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Against the Cardinals on July 2nd, he took the loss, giving up five earned runs in five innings of work. Keller has been much better at home, coming in with a 3.31 ERA compared to 4.23 on the road.
So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They have been a little better on the road (4.4 RPG) compared to at home (4.0 RPG). As a team, the Pirates are batting just .233 and are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts. However, they do have a team batting average of .233.
Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .288 with a team-high 18 homers and 61 RBIs. Reynolds has been even better of late, going 14/36 in his last nine games with two homers and seven RBIs. Joey Bart and Andrew McCutchen are also on nice hitting streaks, with McCutchen at seven games and Bart at three.
Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Pirates, and we see the best value on the money line, where you can get the Pirates at -132. If you’re looking for a parlay option, the over/under is set at 8.5 runs, and we would take the over, as we have this game finishing with 11 total runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Mitch Keller is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the second-best among all starters. As for Andre Pallante, we have him finishing with just five K’s, and he also has the third-worst chances of picking up a win.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- Take the Pirates on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Cardinals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Daulton Jefferies | Out | Elbow |
| Bailey Falter | Out | Arm |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Triceps |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Jared Jones | Out | Lat |
| Hunter Stratton | Out | Triceps |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Steven Matz | Out | Back |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Tommy Edman | Out | Wrist |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
| Riley O’Brien | Out | Forearm |
