The Pittsburgh Pirates will head west to play their NL Central nemesis St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET and you can watch the game on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Vegas has listed Pittsburgh (+140) as the dog to St. Louis (-150). The total sits at nine runs and bettors can take the over for -115 and the under for -105. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds sitting at -155 for the Pirates +1.5 runs and +135 for the Cardinals -1.5.
The Pirates have gone 48-66 SU this year and are 56-58 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 10.2 units for moneyline bettors and 14.9 units ATS. Pittsburgh’s covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 58-55 SU and 56-57 ATS. They’ve lost 8.2 units for moneyline bettors and 4.2 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the under has cashed in five of those seven.
St. Louis games have an over/under record of 45-59-9 in 2019. Pittsburgh has been a great over bet with a total record of 65-43-6.
Right-hander Chris Archer is projected to start for Pittsburgh. Archer is 3-8 with a 5.35 ERA and 122 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with 22 strikeouts and a 3.71 ERA against St. Louis this year (three starts).
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the hands of righty Dakota Hudson (10-6, 3.99 ERA), who has 93 strikeouts and 57 walks, along with a 1.58 WHIP. Hudson is 1-0 with seven strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA over two starts against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitching staff has given up 4.3 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have an ERA of 4.24, a WHIP of 1.37 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.1. The bullpen has a 3.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 10.0 K/9. In 46 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 4.39 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.33.
The St. Louis hitters have produced 4.4 runs per outing, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 1.4 per game over their last five. The team has hit .180/.250/.273 over its last five matchups and is 0-5 SU during that stretch.
The Cardinals’ batters have been led by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong. Goldschmidt is slashing .253/.333/.461 with 25 home runs, 58 RBIs and 67 runs scored, and DeJong’s line sits at .254/.331/.459 with 19 homers, 52 RBIs and 72 runs.
In the other dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starters own a 5.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8.30 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.75, along with a K-per-9 of 9.70.
The Pirates offense has slashed .265/.324/.426 on its way to 4.7 runs scored per game this year, including 4.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (0-5 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offensive production has been powered by right fielder Starling Marte and first baseman Josh Bell, who have combined to launch 47 home runs. Marte is slashing .287/.329/.505 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, 78 runs and 17 stolen bases, while Bell (.279/.362/.573) is up to 27 homers, 89 RBIs and 76 runs scored.
The Pirates have lost 4.2 units and are 44-42 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 46 of those games, compared to 35 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 2.6 units and are 47-43 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 35 of those games, compared to 49 that’ve gone under.
Pirates vs. Cardinals Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in five of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
- The Pirates have a team OPS of .750 this season and an OPS of .771 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS stands at .719 overall and .722 versus righties.
- The Pirates have lost six of their last seven games SU while the Cardinals have dropped six of their last seven.
- St. Louis has recorded 17.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 13.0 over its last five.
- The Pirates have hit 16 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit seven over their last 10.
