St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
Monday’s matchup between the Pirates and Cardinals has a first pitch set for 7:45 PM ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The forecast for Monday’s game looks to be in the low 90s with scattered clouds. Pittsburgh is 71-78 this season, while the Cardinals are 74-75.
The money line odds have the Pirates as the favorite, with their odds sitting at -140 compared to the Cardinals at +119. The over/under line is currently at 7 runs, and SN PT will be televising Monday’s game.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Trends and Key Stats
- 3-2 is the record of Pirates in their last five road games. They have also gone 3-2 vs. the runline.
- In the Cardinals’ five most recent home games, their record stands at 2-3 (SU) with 3-2 against the spread.
- Over their last ten games, the Pirates have a 7-3 straight-up record when playing as the favorite, along with a 6-4 record vs. the runline.
- As the underdog, the Cardinals have gone 2-8 vs. the runline and 4-6 straight-up.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
The Pirates’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Royals, closing out their series with a 4-3 win. After allowing one run to the Royals in the top of the first, the Pirates responded with a run of their own. Pittsburgh went on to add another three runs in the 2nd inning.
Jared Jones got the start for the Pirates, going four innings and giving up just two runs on six hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and issued the loss. The Pirates’s bullpen was excellent, though, as they didn’t give up a run over the final five innings. Aroldis Chapman closed things out in the 9th, picking up the save.
Pittsburgh is 71-78 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central, one game behind the Reds for 4th place. The Pirates are 15 games out of 1st place in the division. This season, they have gone 22-20 against other teams in the NL Central.
At home, the Pirates are 38-40 this year, and they are just under .500 at 33-38 on the road. As the favorite, Pittsburgh is 34-27 and 37-51 as the underdog. They have been good as the road favorite, going 11-6 this season. The Pirates are coming off losing two of three to the Royals but are 6-4 over their last 10 games. So far this year, their series record is 20-21-6.
When the Pirates win, they win big, with an average run margin of +3.2 runs per game. However, when they lose, they lose by an average of -3.6 runs per game. Their run line record is 81-68, with a run line record of 43-28 on the road. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 57-31 vs. the run line, compared to 24-37 as the favorite.
The Pirates are on the road in St. Louis today, with the over/under line set at 7 runs. Pittsburgh’s games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 73-74. When the over/under line has been set at 7 runs, their record is 4-2-1. So far this season, 93.3% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7 runs. They are currently on a two-game under streak.
Right-hander Paul Skenes gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces the Cardinals on the road. Skenes has made 20 starts this season and has a record of 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA. In his 20 appearances, he has turned in 14 quality starts and is averaging 11.32 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, Skenes has allowed 10 homers and is averaging just 2.33 walks per nine innings. In his last outing, Skenes gave up just one earned run in six innings of work, coming away with the win. He has won each of his last three starts.
Heading into today’s game, Bryan Reynolds is on a six-game hitting streak and has gone 10/23 in his last six games. This has helped him take over the team lead in batting average (.282) and RBIs (85). Reynolds also leads the Pirates with 22 homers. Andrew McCutchen is 2nd on the team in home runs (20) but is batting just .237 for the season and has gone 4/17 in his last five games.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. Their team batting average is just .236, and they are also near the bottom of the league in terms of strikeouts and on-base percentage. Overall, they are 22nd in home runs and have a collective OPS of .674.
Lars Nootbaar had a big game at the plate in the Cardinals’ 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays. He went 2/4 with a homer and scored both of the Cardinals’ runs. However, the Cardinals couldn’t come up with a big hit late in the game, and St. Louis’s bullpen took the loss. The Cardinals were the +107 underdog going into this road game.
Miles Mikolas started for the Cardinals, going five innings and giving up two runs on three hits. He only had four strikeouts in the outing and took the loss. Andrew Kittredge was charged with the loss out of the bullpen, as the Cardinals allowed the Blue Jays to score in the 8th to take the lead. St. Louis’s offense also wasted a good game from Lars Nootbaar, who homered in the 2nd inning.
St. Louis is hosting the Pirates today with an overall record of 74-75, which has them 3rd in the NL Central. The Cardinals trail the Brewers by 12 games in the division and are 2 games behind the Cubs for the 2nd spot in the NL Central. The team is coming off being swept by the Blue Jays and are just 4-6 across their last 10 games.
At home, the Cardinals are 39-35 this season compared to 35-40 on the road. St. Louis has won two straight games at home, and they are 14-10 as the home underdog this season. As the underdog overall, the Cardinals are 39-40, and they are an even 35-35 as the favorite.
When betting the run line on the Cardinals, it has been more profitable to take them as the underdog, as they are 51-28 against the run line in those games. They have a run line record of 36-38 at home and 38-37 on the road. Their average run margin in winning games is +2.7, while it is -3.6 in losing games.
With an average combined run total of 8.6 runs per game, the St. Louis Cardinals have seen their games go over the line in 70 of 145 games. The over/under line for today’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates is set at 7 runs, and the Cardinals have played to the over in two of their six games when the line has been set at 7 runs.
Right-hander Andre Pallante gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces off against the Pirates. Pallante has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 6-8 with an ERA of 4.13. Coming into the game, his WHIP is 1.40, and opponents have a batting average of .230 this season. In his last outing, Pallante took the loss, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. He has lost each of his last two starts. One positive note is that Pallante has turned in five quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.77 strikeouts and 3.96 walks.
Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are 25th in the league in runs scored at 4.1 runs per game. This is pretty much the same whether they are at home or on the road. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 12th in the league, and have the 20th ranked home run total in the league. St. Louis has a few guys with a good amount of home runs, but they are led by Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt, who are both batting .270 and have 21 homers apiece.
Over his last five games, Brendan Donovan has gone 4/16 with a home run and two RBIs. This season, he is batting .270 with 12 homers. Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman are also near the top of the Cardinals’ home run leaderboard, but Gorman is batting just .203 this season.
With the Cardinals at +119 on the money line, we see this as a great value pick. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Cardinals, meaning you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 7 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Andre Pallante finishing with four strikeouts, which has him as the second-worst starter in terms of K’s. As for the Pirates starter, Paul Skenes, we have him finishing with five strikeouts, which has him as the 13th best starter for today’s slate.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Tips
- We like the Cardinals on the moneyline (+119)
- On the run line we like Cardinals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Willson Contreras | Out | Finger |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
Pittsburgh Pirates Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Oviedo | Out | Elbow |
| Marco Gonzales | Out | Forearm |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | Out | Back |
| Ben Heller | Out | Shoulder |
| Daulton Jefferies | Out | Elbow |
| Oneil Cruz | Questionable | Ankle |
| Dauri Moreta | Out | Elbow |
| Henry Davis | Out | Hand |
| Hunter Stratton | Out | Knee |
| Endy Rodríguez | Out | Elbow |
