Michael Wacha (13-4, 2.92 ERA) and the St. Louis Cardinals (72-40) square off against Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.39 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-45) in a game that has the potential to be low scoring. This is the second of a three-game series at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won the last game 4-3 and St. Louis leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 12 and can be seen on FSMW and ESPN.
Wacha pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out six and walking two in a 3-0 win over the Reds. Matt Carpenter (.267, 66 Rs, 17 HRs, 60 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. Cole went 6.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking three in a 5-4 defeat to the Dodgers in his last outing. Jung Ho Kang (.293, 42 Rs, 9 HRs, 40 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
St. Louis is a -119 favorite against Pittsburgh and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at six runs. The Cardinals have recorded an overall money line of +2,292 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 59-24. St. Louis is an impressive 7-3 as the favorite over its last 10 games. St. Louis is one of the best in the NL in terms of walks at home, earning an average of 3.2 per game. Turning to the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cardinals, who have a team ERA of only 2.61. The Cardinals are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cardinals, who rank fourth in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.2.
As for their opponent, in contrast to an encouraging overall money line (+1,287), Pittsburgh has an unimpressive 12-18 record when playing as the underdog. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 4-12 record against NL Central opponents, and a 7-3 record SU. Offensively, the Pirates have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 5.7 during that stretch. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL at pitching on the road, with a 3.59 ERA.
The Cardinals lead the season series, 6-5. The Cardinals have a great 34-9 record at home (56-26 overall) against right-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Cole takes the mound. Wacha (RHP) will be on the hill against the Pirates, who have a 53-35 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 26-19. The Pirates are 24-15 in close games this season.
The Cardinals are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Pirates have a 7-11 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they are outhit, the Pirates are 15-35. The Cardinals have a 19-25 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling near the bottom of the league based on total home runs this season, St. Louis ranks 25th with 91 homers and Pittsburgh is 23rd with 92.
St. Louis and Pittsburgh both rank in the top five of the league in hits. St. Louis sits at fifth with 8.64 hits per game and Pittsburgh ranks fourth with 8.97.
Ranking 17th, St. Louis is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.711). Pittsburgh ranks in the top half at 14th with an OPS of .714.
The Pirates are 27-28 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Cardinals are 29-28 when they allow at least one homer.
