The St. Louis Cardinals are traveling east to face their divisional rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET and the matchup will be shown on ATPT and FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Vegas is listing Pittsburgh (-140) as the favorite over St. Louis (+130). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at +100 for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. Runline odds sit at -170 for betting the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +150 for the Pirates -1.5.
The Cardinals are 54-51 SU and have gone 53-55 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 9.1 units for gamblers taking the moneyline and 5.2 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 55-52 SU and 52-57 ATS. They’ve gained 2.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 7.0 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread only once in its last seven games and the total has gone under in three of those seven.
Pittsburgh games have an over/under record of 52-49-8 in 2018. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 51-53-4.
John Gant will get the nod for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Gant is 3-4 with a 3.49 ERA and 50 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with seven strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA against Pittsburgh this year.
The Pirates will turn to righty Ivan Nova (6-6, 4.33 ERA), who has 82 strikeouts and 22 walks as well as a 1.29 WHIP. Nova has yet to face the Cardinals this year, but he made four starts against them in 2017, compiling a 1-2 record with a 4.18 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
As a unit, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has allowed 4.6 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have a 4.24 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.28 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. In 43 games against NL Central foes, Pirates starters have an ERA of 3.27 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.84.
The Pittsburgh hitters are putting up 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 .236/.324/.348 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
Outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte have led the Pirates’ hitters this year. Dickerson is hitting .318/.351/.517 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and 50 runs scored, and Marte’s line sits at .287/.334/.489 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs, 57 runs and 25 steals.
In the visiting dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.46 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 7.99 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.58, along with a K-per-9 of 8.47.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .249/.323/.405 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Outfielder Marcell Ozuna and third baseman Matt Carpenter have led St. Louis’ hitters. Ozuna is hitting .270/.313/.395 with 13 home runs, 59 RBIs and 43 runs scored, while Carpenter is hitting .276/.388/.572 with 26 homers, 57 RBIs and 70 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 9.2 units and are 37-40 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 33 of those games, compared to 40 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 7.3 units and are 40-39 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 33 of those games, compared to 39 that went under.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
