The St. Louis Cardinals will play host to their NL Central foe Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. The opening pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET and the action will be televised on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Pittsburgh (+145) is the underdog against St. Louis (-155) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs. The odds for wagering on the game’s total sit at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the runline odds sitting at -150 for the Pirates +1.5 runs and +130 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs.
The Pirates are 64-67 SU and are 63-68 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 3.6 units for moneyline bettors and 10.0 units ATS. Pittsburgh is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 73-58 SU and 69-62 ATS. The team’s gained 5.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 5.7 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread six times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have had an over/under record of 61-64-6 in 2018. The Pirates have an over/under record of 61-62-8.
Ivan Nova will get the start for the Bucs. The right-handed Nova is 7-8 with a 4.20 ERA and 95 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with three strikeouts and a 9.00 ERA against St. Louis this year.
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the right hand of Jack Flaherty (7-6, 2.97 ERA, 1.05 WHIP), who has 144 strikeouts and 41 walks. Flaherty is 2-1 with 18 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA across four starts against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitchers have given up 4.1 runs per game overall in 2018. The club’s starters have an ERA of 3.38, a WHIP of 1.23 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.1. The bullpen has a 4.24 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.2 K/9. In 61 games against divisional foes, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.48 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.37.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.6 runs per outing, including 4.6 per game against divisional foes and 5.6 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .263/.310/.457 over its last five matchups and is 4-1 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ offense has been led by left fielder Marcell Ozuna and first baseman Jose Martinez. Ozuna is slashing .275/.319/.409 with 16 home runs, 69 RBIs and 52 runs scored, while Martinez is batting .307 with 15 homers, 73 RBIs and 47 runs scored.
For the visiting squad, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 7.26 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.04, along with a K-per-9 of 9.56.
Pirates hitters have slashed .254/.322/.410 on their way to 4.4 runs scored per game this season, including 4.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offense has been sparked by outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte. Dickerson is hitting .298/.328/.466 with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs and 53 runs scored, while Marte is slashing .275/.323/.459 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs, 66 runs and 29 steals.
The Pirates have gained 4.2 units and are 46-46 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 38 of those games, compared to 47 that’ve hit the under against righties. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 1.9 units and are 47-45 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 38 of those games, compared to 49 which went under the total.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The over has cashed in three of Pittsburgh’s last seven outings.
The Pirates have hit five home runs in their last 10 games, including four over their last five.
The Pittsburgh defense has allowed three errors over its last five games, compared to six errors for St. Louis over its last five.
The Cardinals have won five of their last six games SU.
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