The Pittsburgh Pirates will play their NL Central foe St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The game will start at 2:15 p.m. ET and the matchup will be televised on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Oddsmakers are listing Pittsburgh (+140) as the underdog to St. Louis (-150). Bettors are able to gamble on the game’s total with odds sitting at -115 for over 8.5 runs and -105 for under 8.5. The game’s current runline odds sit at -155 for betting the Pirates +1.5 runs and +135 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs.
The Cardinals are 30-25 SU and 27-27 ATS. They’ve lost 0.4 units for moneyline bettors and 0.8 units against the spread (ATS). The Pirates have gone 30-27 SU this year and are 25-31 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors and 6.1 units ATS.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 21-29-4 so far in 2018. The Pirates have been a decent over bet with a total record of 28-22-6.
Chad Kuhl is getting the nod for the visiting Pirates. The right-handed Kuhl is 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA and 58 strikeouts. He has yet to face St. Louis this year, but he made four starts against the team in 2017, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.27 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
The Cardinals will put the ball in the right hand of Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), who has 53 strikeouts and 20 walks this season. Weaver is 0-1 with six strikeouts and a 6.75 ERA in one start against Pittsburgh this year.
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.09 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.40 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.28, along with a K-per-9 of 9.55.
The Pirates offense has slashed .258/.330/.426 on its way to 4.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.3 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte continue to lead Pittsburgh’s hitters. Dickerson is hitting .314/.349/.495 with five home runs, 32 RBIs and 26 runs scored, while Marte has a .303 average with seven homers, 23 RBIs, 32 runs and 10 steals.
For the home team, St. Louis’ pitching staff has yielded 3.9 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starters have a 3.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.47 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. In 29 games against divisional opponents, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.09 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.38.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.3 runs per outing, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .251/.302/.407 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that span.
First baseman Jose Martinez and left fielder Marcell Ozuna have led the Cardinals’ hitters this year. Martinez is slashing .293/.364/.439 with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 21 runs scored, while Ozuna’s line is .265/.312/.340 with three homers, 23 RBIs and 20 runs.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .309/.379/.518, Martinez seemed to take a step back when hitting righty pitching in 2017, slashing .282/.346/.427 over 237 plate appearances.
The Pirates have gained 0.6 units and are 21-23 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 19 of those games, compared to 19 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 2.8 units and are 19-22 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 15 of those games, compared to 22 which went under the total.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last seven games.
The Pittsburgh defense has allowed three errors over its last five games, compared to eight errors for St. Louis over its last five.
Each team has hit nine home runs over its last 10 games.
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