Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
St. Louis and Pittsburgh are facing off in an NL Central matchup at 12:35 PM ET at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The money line odds have the Cardinals at -119 compared to the Pirates at +101. The over/under line is at 9 runs.
BSMW is carrying this game on TV, and the forecast looks good in Pittsburgh with temperatures in the mid-70s and partly cloudy skies. Andre Pallante is starting for the Cardinals, and the Pirates are going with Martin Perez. Both teams are in the 2nd and 3rd in the NL Central.
Check out BetCoco for Pittsburgh Pirates – St. Louis Cardinals odds
Pittsburgh Pirates Trends and Key Stats
- The Cardinals are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- On the opposing side, the Pirates have a 3-2 (SU) record, along with a 4-1 record in their last five home contests.
- Looking back on their last ten games as the favorite, the Cardinals are 6-4 straight-up and 4-6 vs. the runline.
- When playing as the underdog, the Pirates have a 3-7 record against the runline and a 6-4 straight-up record in their last ten games.
Pittsburgh picked up a 5-4 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a two-run lead heading into the 8th inning, and the Cardinals could only muster one run in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -126 on the money line.
Jared Jones got the start for the Pirates, going five innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued two walks. Aroldis Chapman came out of the bullpen for the win and the save. Andrew Kittredge took the loss for the Cardinals out of the bullpen.
Rowdy Tellez was the difference for the Pirates, as he homered twice, scored three times, and finished with two RBIs. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds each had two hits and an RBI. For the Cardinals, Willson Contreras hit a home run and drove in two runs.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
St. Louis is 44-41 overall and is seven games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals are 12-12 in divisional games this year. The Cardinals are on the road today, taking on the Pirates, and they are 24-18 at home and 20-23 on the road.
The Cardinals have an overall series record of 14-11-2 this year, and they are 22-19 as the favorite. As the underdog, the Cardinals are 22-22 this year. St. Louis has gone 6-4 across their last ten games and are looking to take the series lead today vs. the Pirates.
When it comes to run line betting, the Cardinals are a team to watch. They are 44-41 overall on the run line this season, including a 24-18 mark at home. They are 20-23 on the run line on the road, but they have covered in two straight games. They are 16-25 on the run line as the favorite, but 28-16 as the underdog. Their average run margin in wins is +2.4, while it is -3.5 in losses.
St. Louis is on the road against the Pirates today, and the over/under line is set at 9 runs. The Cardinals have a combined run average of 8.4 this season, and their over/under record is 38-44. When the line is set at 9 runs, their record is 5-4-1. The over has hit in two straight games for St. Louis.
St. Louis is sending right-hander Andre Pallante to the mound today as he faces the Pirates on the road. Pallante has made six starts this season and has a record of 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, opponents are batting .262 off Pallante this season, and he has a WHIP of 1.58. In his 15 appearances, Pallante has turned in just one quality start. One of his main issues has been walks, as he is averaging 4.26 per nine innings compared to 7.34 strikeouts.
St. Louis comes into the game as one of the worst offensive teams in the league, averaging just 4 runs per game (26th in the MLB). They have been even worse on the road, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .240, which is 13th in the league, and are 18th in home runs. Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman are the top home run hitters for the Cardinals, but Gorman is batting just .189 this season.
Brendan Donovan has been a bright spot for the Cardinals this season, leading the team with 42 RBIs while batting .267. Over his last five games, Alec Burleson has gone 4/18 with one home run and five RBIs. Nolan Gorman has also gone deep in his last five games but is just 3/18 in that stretch.
Pittsburgh is 41-44 overall, putting them 3rd in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by 10 games in the division. So far, they have gone 13-12 against other teams in the NL Central. The Pirates are 20-21 at home this season and 21-23 on the road.
The Pirates will be hosting the Cardinals today, and they are 16-19 as the favorite this year and 25-25 as the underdog. Pittsburgh has an overall series record of 11-12-4 this year, and they are 5-5 across their last 10 games overall.
When it comes to the run line, the Pirates have been a solid bet this season, going 45-40 overall. They have been particularly strong on the run line on the road, going 26-18. They have been a good bet as the underdog, going 34-16 on the run line. Their average run differential on the season is -0.4 runs per game.
When the Pirates play at home, the over/under line is set at 9 runs, and their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season. Pittsburgh’s over/under record is 40-44 on the year, and their games have averaged 8 runs per game overall. The over has hit in two straight games for the Pirates.
Martín Pérez is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Braves, where he gave up six earned runs in four innings of work. In that June 28th start, he gave up two homers. Overall, he has a record of 1-4 and an ERA of 5.28. Looking at his home/away splits, Pérez has a record of 0-2 at home with a 4.92 ERA. On the road, he is 1-2 with a 6.54 ERA. Perez has made 12 starts, and opponents are batting .305 off the left-hander this season. So far, he has turned in three quality starts and is averaging 7.34 strikeouts per nine innings.
Heading into today’s game, the Pirates are averaging 4 runs per game, which is 23rd in the league. This has been a bit of a surprise, as they have been one of the better home run hitting teams in the league but are near the bottom of the league in batting average and on-base percentage. Overall, they are batting just .228 and have an OBP of only .296.
Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz have been the Pirates’ top home run hitters this season, with Reynolds batting .273 and Cruz at .240. Reynolds has gone 11/38 in his last nine games, with two homers and five RBIs. Rowdy Tellez is also on a three-game hitting streak and has three homers in his last nine games, while batting .321.
Getting the Pirates at +101 on the money line is a great value pick for today’s Cardinals vs. Pirates matchup. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Pirates, giving you a couple of options if you want to look at the over/under line, as the line is currently sitting at 9 runs.
Looking at today’s starters, we have Martin Perez finishing with four strikeouts, which is good for third-worst among all starters. As for Andre Pallante, he is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which has him as the seventh worst among all starters.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- We like the Pirates on the moneyline (+101)
- The Pirates are also our pick on the run line at +1.5
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ryan Borucki | Out | Triceps |
| David Bednar | Out | Oblique |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Quinn Priester | Out | Lat |
| Henry Davis | Out | Head |
| 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 |
| Iván Herrera | Out | Back |
| Riley O’Brien | Out | Forearm |
| Lars Nootbaar | Out | Oblique |
