Michael Wacha (4-0, 2.42 ERA) is on the hill for the St. Louis Cardinals (17-6) as they square off against Vance Worley (2-2, 4.50 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (12-12) in the last of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 2-1, continuing a five-game winning streak. Action begins at 2:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 3 and can be seen on ROOT-PIT and FSN-MW.
Wacha is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his appearances against the Pirates, and goes up against a below-average Pittsburgh offense which is batting just .232 this season. Worley is 0-0 with a 4.96 ERA against the Cardinals in his career. He is up against a good St. Louis offense that’s batting .268. Starling Marte (.253, 13 Rs, 6 HRs, 17 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Pirates, going 3 for 6 yesterday.
St. Louis is a -162 favorite against Pittsburgh and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Cardinals have recorded an overall money line of +878 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 13-4. St. Louis is an impressive 7-2 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Cardinals have seen a decline in scoring against teams inside their division, averaging 3.7 runs per game. They average 4.3 runs per game on the season. Turning to the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cardinals, who have a team ERA of only 2.36. The Cardinals are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.13 so far this season.
As for their opponent, Pittsburgh is coming in with an overall money line of -22 and a disappointing record of 3-5 as the underdog. They are 3-5 as the underdog against NL Central foes, and 8-9 SU. The Pirates allow 3.2 runs per game, but does worse whenever another team from the NL Central Division is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average up to 3.8 against division foes.
The Cardinals have the edge in the season series, 2-0. The Cardinals have a great 9-1 record at home (15-4 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Worley takes the mound. Wacha (RHP) will be on the hill against the Pirates, who have a 12-9 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, O/U – Over
Notes
The Pirates lost their last game by a one-run margin. In games decided by one run, the Cardinals are 3-3. The Pirates are 4-6 in close games this season.
Pittsburgh has won 29% (2-5) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, St. Louis has won 67% (6-3) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Cardinals managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Pirates who are coming in with a 1-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Cardinals have a slight leg up on the Pirates, as the Cardinals have won their last five games while the Pirates have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cardinals are 11-5. The Pirates have a 9-2 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 19th, Pittsburgh sits in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 91 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top half at 15th with 96.
Ranking 28th, Pittsburgh is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 47 this season. St. Louis ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 79.
When the Cardinals hit at least one home run, they are 8-2. When the Pirates hit at least one homer, they have an 8-5 record.
