The St. Louis Cardinals will head east to face their NL Central foe Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The game gets going at 7:05 p.m. ET and the action will be televised on either ATPT or FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Pittsburgh (+125) as the underdog to St. Louis (-135). Gamblers can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at +100 for over 8.5 runs and -120 for under 8.5. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the odds sitting at +110 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs and -130 for the Pirates +1.5 runs.
The Cardinals have gone 15-9 SU this year and are 13-10 against the spread (ATS). They’ve accumulated 2.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline over the early part of the year and 1.9 units ATS. The Pirates, on the other hand, are 14-11 SU and 13-11 ATS. The team has gained 0.7 units for moneyline bettors and 3.4 units ATS.
Pittsburgh games have an over/under record of 13-8-3 so far in 2018. The Cardinals have an over/under record of 12-11.
The right-handed Miles Mikolas is projected to start for the visiting Cardinals. Mikolas is 3-0 with a 3.46 ERA and 20 strikeouts. He has yet to face the Pirates this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Pirates are sending lefty Steven Brault (2-1, 4.44 ERA) to the mound. Brault has 15 strikeouts and 12 walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.27. Brault did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.
Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has yielded 4.5 runs per game overall this year as a unit. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.87 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.97 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 9.2 K/9. In seven games against divisional opponents, Pirates starters have an ERA of 2.76 and the bullpen’s ERA is 8.24.
Pittsburgh’s hitters have put up 4.9 runs per outing, including 6.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over their last five. The team has hit .272/.330/.424 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Pirates’ batters have been led by right fielder Starling Marte and catcher Francisco Cervelli. Marte is slashing .281/.373/.469 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, 18 runs and eight stolen bases, and Cervelli’s line sits at .279/.375/.529 with three homers, 18 RBIs and eight runs scored.
Marte enjoyed batting against righty pitching at home last season, slashing .374/.447/.565 over 132 such plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .275/.333/.379).
For the visiting squad, St. Louis’ pitching staff allowed 3.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.37 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.36, along with a WHIP of 1.23.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .246/.334/.407 on their way to 5.0 runs scored per game this season, including 5.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 6.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
St. Louis’ offense has been led by right fielder Tommy Pham and shortstop Paul DeJong, who collectively have belted 10 home runs. Pham is slashing .368/.484/.539 with 28 hits, eight RBIs, 21 runs and five stolen bases, while DeJong (.281/.340/.584) is up to 25 hits, seven homers, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Putting up a slash line of .340/.431/.611 across 283 plate appearances, Pham performed well on the road last season (compared to his total season slash line of .306/.411/.520).
The Cardinals have gained 2.9 units and are 5-2 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has hit in three of those games, compared to four that’ve gone under against left-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 0.1 units and are 10-9 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in eight of those games, compared to eight that’ve gone under.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in five of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Cardinals have won five of their last six games SU.
- St. Louis fielders have committed three errors over their last five games, compared to seven errors for Pittsburgh over its last five.
- The Cardinals have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
