The St. Louis Cardinals are traveling east to PNC Park to take on their division rival Pittsburgh Pirates. The action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET and you can watch it on either ATPT or FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Vegas has listed Pittsburgh (+110) as the underdog to St. Louis (-120). If you think the game’s total will go under 9 runs, bookmakers are currently offering -110 odds. Taking the over will give you -110 odds. The game’s most recent runline odds stand at +125 for picking the Cardinals -1.5 runs and -145 for the Pirates +1.5.
The Cardinals are 79-61 SU and are 73-66 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 5.8 units for moneyline bettors and 4.5 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 61-79 SU and 68-71 ATS. The team has lost 7.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 19.2 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Pirates games have had an over/under record of 78-54-7 in 2019. St. Louis has been a great under bet with a total record of 54-74-11.
Miles Mikolas is getting the nod for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Mikolas is 8-13 with a 4.32 ERA and 124 strikeouts. He’s 2-1 with 21 strikeouts and a 3.66 ERA against Pittsburgh this year (five starts).
The Pirates are turning to righty Joe Musgrove (9-12, 4.67 ERA), who has 136 strikeouts and 35 walks, along with a WHIP of 1.24. Musgrove is 0-4 with 18 strikeouts and a 10.00 ERA over four starts against St. Louis this year.
As a unit, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has yielded 5.5 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 5.23, a WHIP of 1.43 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.3. The bullpen has a 4.86 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. In 61 divisional games, Pirates starters have an ERA of 5.25 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.83.
Pittsburgh’s hitters have produced 4.8 runs per outing, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 6.8 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .303/.377/.530 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.
Right fielder Starling Marte and first baseman Josh Bell have paced the Pirates’ batters this year. Marte is hitting .293/.340/.501 with 23 home runs, 79 RBIs, 95 runs and 25 stolen bases, while Bell’s line sits at .280/.367/.578 with 36 homers, 112 RBIs and 92 runs.
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.98 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 8.03 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.65, along with a WHIP of 1.31 and a K/9 of 9.82.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .248/.323/.413 on their way to 4.7 runs scored per game this year, including 5.1 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
St. Louis’ hitters have been paced by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Paul DeJong. Goldschmidt is slashing .260/.337/.465 with 29 home runs, 79 RBIs and 85 runs scored. DeJong (.246/.327/.459) is up to 26 homers, 70 RBIs and 88 runs scored.
The Cardinals have gained 8.3 units and are 61-50 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 40 of those games, compared to 64 that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Pirates have lost 0.0 units and are 52-51 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 54 of those games, compared to 43 that’ve gone under.
Cardinals vs. Pirates Free MLB Tip
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in four of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
- The Cardinals have an OPS of .736 this season and an OPS of .731 against right-handed pitchers. The Pirates’ OPS stands at .758 overall and .780 versus righties.
- The Cardinals have won three of their last four games SU.
- St. Louis has recorded 22.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 games and 21.8 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Pirates have hit 19 over their last 10.
