The St. Louis Cardinals are traveling east to PNC Park to square off against their NL Central nemesis Pittsburgh Pirates. The game gets going at 7:05 p.m. ET and the matchup will be shown on ATPT and FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Pittsburgh (+125) as the underdog to St. Louis (-135). The total sits at 8.5 runs and bettors can take the over for +100 and the under for -120. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds standing at +110 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs and -130 for the Pirates +1.5.
The Pirates are 14-11 SU and 13-11 ATS. The team has gained 0.7 units for moneyline bettors and 3.4 units against the spread (ATS). Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total went over in three of those seven. The Cardinals are 15-9 SU and have gone 13-10 ATS. In total, the team’s accumulated 2.8 units for moneyline gamblers through the early portions of the year and 1.9 units ATS. St. Louis has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven.
Pirates games have an over/under record of 13-8-3 so far in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 12-11.
Miles Mikolas is getting the start for St. Louis. The right-handed 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 putting the ball in the hands of lefty Steven Brault (2-1, 4.44 ERA), who has 15 strikeouts and 12 walks to his credit, as well as a 1.27 WHIP. Brault did not record a start against the Cardinals in 2017.
As a unit, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has allowed 4.5 runs per game overall this year. The club’s starters have 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 foes, Pirates starters have an ERA of 2.76 and the bullpen’s ERA is 8.24.
The Pittsburgh offense has put up 4.9 runs per contest, including 6.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.6 per game over its last five. The team has a slash-line of .272/.330/.424 over its last five contests 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, while Cervelli’s line is .279/.375/.529 with three homers, 18 RBIs and eight runs.
Marte seemed to enjoy hitting righties at home last season, slashing .374/.447/.565 across 132 such plate appearances (compared to his overall season line of .275/.333/.379).
For the visitors, St. Louis’ pitchers have 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 an ERA of 3.36, along with a K/9 of 8.78.
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’ hitters have 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) has produced 25 hits, seven homers, 14 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
Compared to his total season slash line of .306/.411/.520, Pham seemed to enjoy hitting on the road last season, putting up a slash line of .340/.431/.611 across 283 plate appearances.
The Cardinals have gained 2.9 units and are 5-2 ATS when facing a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in three of those games, as opposed to four that’ve hit the under against lefty starters. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 0.1 units and are 10-9 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in eight of those games, compared to eight which went under the total.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Cardinals have won five of their last six games SU.
Pittsburgh has posted 19.6 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 24.6 over its last five.
The Cardinals have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
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