This game could be low scoring as Lance Lynn (9-6, 2.76 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (73-40) meet Francisco Liriano (7-6, 3.13 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-46) in the last of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 4-2 and St. Louis leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 7:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 13 and will air on RTPT and FSMW.
In his last start, Lynn pitched 6.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out seven and walking four in a 6-0 victory over the Brewers. Randal Grichuk (.282, 42 Rs, 14 HRs, 43 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. The Pirates were unsuccessful the last time Liriano pitched. He did not do well, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing four runs, striking out four and walking two in a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers. Andrew McCutchen (.299, 65 Rs, 18 HRs, 76 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Pirates, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
St. Louis is a small -115 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at six runs. The Cardinals have a winning record of 60-24 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +2,392. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (7-3). They have been very patient at the plate during home games, ranking third in the NL with an average of 3.2 walks per game. St. Louis’s pitching staff can be considered for best in its league, with an NL-low 2.62 team ERA. The Cardinals are fourth in the league in WHIP at 1.20. An area where the Cardinals are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.2 K’s per game.
On the other side, the Pirates have a subpar record of 12-19 when they are the underdog, but are +1,187 overall with the money line. Against divisional opponents, they are 20-28 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 4-13 record. The Pirates seem to play worse against their division opponents. In divisional matchups, Pittsburgh has averaged 3.7 runs per game, compared to 4.2 for the duration of the season. Switching gears to Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, they have the fourth-lowest road ERA in the NL at 3.61.
The Cardinals have gotten the best of the Pirates in head-to-head matchups this season, going 7-5. This game will feature Liriano (LHP) on the mound against the Cardinals, who have a 16-14 record when they take on a left-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Pirates will be the right-hander Lynn. They sport a 53-36 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – StL, O/U – Over
Notes
For the 25th time this season, the Pirates registered at least two errors in a game.
The St. Louis batters brought in a solid nine hits last game. Pittsburgh has a record of 26-28 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Pirates, as the Cardinals have won their last two games while the Pirates have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 46-14. The Pirates have a 45-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Both falling in the bottom half of the league based on total runs this season, St. Louis ranks 20th with 448 runs and Pittsburgh is 16th with 465.
Ranking 22nd, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 291 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 342.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 45-19, well-matched with the Pirates who are 41-22 when hitting one or more homers.
