The Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing to take the field against their divisional rival St. Louis Cardinals in a Saturday showdown. The matchup starts at 7:15 p.m. ET and you can catch the game on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Pittsburgh (receiving +135) is the underdog to St. Louis (-145) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this game at 9 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total currently sit at +105 for the over and -125 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds sitting at Pirates +1.5 runs (-160) and Cardinals -1.5 runs (+140).
The Cardinals are 59-55 straight up (SU) and 56-57 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 8.2 units for moneyline bettors and 4.2 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread only twice in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven. The Pirates are 48-67 SU and have gone 56-58 ATS. In total, the club has lost 10.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 14.9 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
St. Louis games have an over/under record of 45-59-9 in 2019. Pittsburgh has been a strong over bet with a total record of 65-43-6.
The right-handed Joe Musgrove is projected to start for the visiting Pirates. Musgrove is 8-10 with a 4.69 ERA and 109 strikeouts. He’s 0-3 with 12 strikeouts and a 12.08 ERA against St. Louis this year (three starts).
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the hands of righty Adam Wainwright (7-8, 4.50 ERA), who has 110 strikeouts and 47 walks, along with a 1.41 WHIP. Wainwright is 1-0 with 16 strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA across three starts against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have an ERA of 4.24, a WHIP of 1.37 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.0. The bullpen has a 3.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 10.0 K/9. In 47 games against NL Central foes, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 4.39 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.20.
The St. Louis offense has put up 4.4 runs per contest, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 2.0 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .195/.256/.308 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that span.
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong have paced the Cardinals’ batters this year. Goldschmidt is slashing .255/.334/.461 with 25 home runs, 59 RBIs and 68 runs scored, and DeJong’s line is .251/.328/.455 with 19 homers, 52 RBIs and 73 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 5.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.24 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 8.35 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.79, along with a WHIP of 1.42 and a K/9 of 9.68.
Pirates hitters have slashed .265/.324/.425 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game this year, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over the team’s last five contests (0-5 SU).
Pittsburgh’s hitters have been paced by outfielder Starling Marte and first baseman Josh Bell, who have combined to launch 47 home runs. Marte is slashing .287/.328/.502 with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, 78 runs and 18 stolen bases. Bell is slashing .282/.365/.578 with 27 homers, 89 RBIs and 78 runs scored.
The Pirates have lost 4.2 units and are 44-42 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has cashed in 46 of those games, compared to 35 that’ve gone under in such games. 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 has hit in 35 of those games, compared to 49 that’ve cashed the under.
Pirates at Cardinals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in five of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
- The Pirates have a team OPS of .749 this season and an OPS of .771 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS sits at .721 overall and .723 versus righties.
- The Pirates have dropped seven of their last eight games SU.
- St. Louis has recorded 18.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 14.4 over its last five.
- The Pirates have hit 13 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit seven over their last 10.
