The Pittsburgh Pirates will be facing off against their divisional rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The game gets going at 1:15 p.m. ET and the matchup will be shown on both ATPT and FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Vegas has put matching moneyline odds (-105) on both of these teams. Bettors are able to gamble on the game’s total with odds listed at +105 for over 8.5 runs and -125 for under 8.5. The game’s current runline odds sit at +140 for betting the Pirates -1.5 runs and -160 for the Cardinals +1.5.
The Pirates have gone 71-73 SU this year and are 70-73 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 1.1 units for moneyline gamblers and 9.6 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 81-64 SU and 76-68 ATS. They’ve gained 4.3 units for moneyline bettors and 7.5 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
Cardinals games have had an over/under record of 66-72-6 in 2018. The Pirates have also been a decent under bet with a total record of 63-70-10.
Right-hander Jameson Taillon is projected to start for the visiting Pirates. Taillon is 12-9 with a 3.40 ERA and 152 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with 12 strikeouts and a 1.88 ERA against St. Louis this year (two starts).
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the hands of Daniel Poncedeleon (0-1, 2.67 ERA), who has 23 strikeouts and 12 walks as well as a 1.15 WHIP. Poncedeleon has yet to face the Pirates this year and did not pitch in the majors in 2017.
Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.4 runs per game and its starters own a 4.05 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 7.47 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.09, along with a WHIP of 1.27 and a K-per-9 of 9.68.
Pirates hitters have slashed .254/.320/.408 on their way to 4.3 runs scored per game this year, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Pittsburgh’s hitters have been led by outfielders Starling Marte and Corey Dickerson. Marte is slashing .275/.320/.456 with 19 home runs, 66 RBIs, 72 runs and 31 steals, while Dickerson has a .291 average with 11 homers, 49 RBIs and 57 runs scored.
In the other dugout, St. Louis’ pitching staff has yielded 4.1 runs per game overall in 2018. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.36, a WHIP of 1.24 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.1. The bullpen has a 4.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 8.1 K/9. In 69 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.43 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.44.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.7 runs per outing, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 6.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .233/.295/.384 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
First baseman Jose Martinez and outfielder Marcell Ozuna have paced the Cardinals’ batters this year. Martinez is slashing .305/.364/.455 with 16 home runs, 79 RBIs and 56 runs scored, while Ozuna’s line is .280/.321/.435 with 21 homers, 79 RBIs and 61 runs.
The Cardinals have gained 0.0 units and are 54-49 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 43 of those games, compared to 55 that’ve hit the under against righty starters.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
Pittsburgh has recorded 21 extra-base hits over its last five outings. St. Louis has 12 XBH over its last five.
St. Louis has posted 21.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 20.8 over its last five.
The Pirates have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games, including six over their last five.
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