The Pittsburgh Pirates will head west to square off against their division rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The matchup gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET and you can catch it on ATPT and FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Vegas has listed St. Louis (-155) as the favorite over Pittsburgh (+145). The total is sitting at 8.5 runs and bettors can take the over for -130 or the under for +110. Runline odds sit at -150 for taking the Pirates +1.5 runs and +130 for the Cardinals -1.5.
The Pirates have gone 29-26 SU this year and are 24-30 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 1.0 unit for moneyline bettors and 5.5 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the under has hit in three of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 29-24 SU and 25-27 ATS. The team has lost 0.4 units for moneyline bettors and 3.3 units ATS. St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
Cardinals games have an over/under record of 20-28-4 thus far in 2018. Pittsburgh has been a decent over bet with a total record of 27-21-6.
Trevor Williams will get the start for the visiting Pirates. The right-handed Williams is 5-3 with a 3.43 ERA and 43 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with five strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA against St. Louis this year (three starts).
The Cardinals will be sending righty Jack Flaherty (2-1, 2.15 ERA) to the hill. Flaherty has 31 punchouts and nine walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.02. Flaherty is 1-1 with six strikeouts and a 3.27 ERA against Pittsburgh this year.
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.12 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.42 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.18, along with a WHIP of 1.25.
Pirates hitters have slashed .257/.329/.423 on their way to 4.7 runs scored per game this season, including 5.2 runs per game against divisional foes and 2.6 per game over the team’s last five contests (1-4 SU).
Outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte continue to lead Pittsburgh’s offense. Dickerson is hitting .308/.344/.492 with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 24 runs scored, while Marte (.309/.361/.514) has produced seven homers, 23 RBIs, 32 runs and 10 stolen bases.
Marte didn’t do as well batting against right-handed pitching on the road last season. Over 128 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .250/.289/.317 (compared to his total season line of .275/.333/.379).
In the home-team dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff has yielded 3.8 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.02 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.34 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. In 27 games against divisional opponents, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.08 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.12.
The St. Louis hitters are putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .259/.324/.416 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
First baseman Jose Martinez and left fielder Marcell Ozuna have led the Cardinals’ hitters this year. Martinez is hitting .298/.369/.445 with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 20 runs scored, and Ozuna’s line sits at .260/.305/.337 with three homers, 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .309/.379/.518, Martinez didn’t seem to enjoy hitting against right-handed pitchers last year, slashing .282/.346/.427 over 237 plate appearances.
The Pirates have gained 0.3 units and are 20-22 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 18 of those games, as opposed to 18 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 2.8 units and are 17-22 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 14 of those games, as opposed to 21 that’ve gone under.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Notes
Pittsburgh has posted 20.7 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 16.6 over its last five.
Both teams have hit 11 home runs over their last 10 games.
*****
