The St. Louis Cardinals will welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to Busch Stadium in the 0 game of their divisional doubleheader. The matchup begins at 8:15 p.m. ET and fans can watch the game on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Pittsburgh (+125) as the dog to St. Louis (-135). Bettors can wager on the game’s total with odds sitting at -120 for over 8.5 runs and +100 for under 8.5. You can also bet on the game’s runline with the odds sitting at -170 for the Pirates +1.5 runs and +150 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs.
The Pirates have gone 17-17 SU this year and are 18-15 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 1.6 units for moneyline bettors in this young season and 1.3 units ATS. Pittsburgh has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in five of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 22-16 SU and 22-15 ATS. The team’s gained 3.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 7.8 units ATS. St. Louis has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven.
St. Louis games have an over/under record of 19-15-3 so far in 2019. The Pirates have an over/under record of 16-16-1.
The right-handed Trevor Williams is projected to start for the visiting Pirates. Williams (1-1, 3.74 ERA) has recorded 32 strikeouts in 43.1 innings so far. He has yet to face St. Louis this year, but he did make six starts against the team in 2018, putting together a 2-2 record with a 4.94 ERA and 26 strikeouts.
The Cardinals are handing the ball to righty Adam Wainwright (3-3, 4.71 ERA), who has 29 strikeouts and 14 walks, along with a 1.35 WHIP. Wainwright is 0-0 with three strikeouts and a 9.00 ERA in one start against Pittsburgh this year.
St. Louis’ pitching staff has yielded 4.5 runs per game overall this season as a unit. The club’s starters have an ERA of 4.51, a WHIP of 1.40 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.8. The bullpen has a 3.84 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.4 K/9. In 21 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 5.67 and the bullpen’s ERA is 5.04.
The St. Louis hitters have produced 5.2 runs per contest, including 5.7 per game against divisional foes and 5.8 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .251/.346/.407 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Cardinals’ batters have been led by shortstop Paul DeJong and catcher Yadier Molina. DeJong is hitting .329/.410/.582 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs and 32 runs scored, while Molina’s line is .289/.315/.437 with three homers, 27 RBIs and 15 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.9 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 3.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 7.89 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.95, along with a WHIP of 1.20.
Pirates hitters have slashed .235/.300/.375 on their way to 3.6 runs scored per game in 2019, including 3.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
First baseman Josh Bell and outfielder Melky Cabrera have led Pittsburgh’s offense. Bell is slashing .294/.368/.635 with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 22 runs scored. Cabrera is hitting .337/.373/.481 with three homers, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
The Pirates have gained 3.0 units and are 13-10 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 10 of those games, compared to 12 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 4.7 units and are 19-12 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s hit in 16 of those games, compared to 13 that went under the total.
Pirates at Cardinals Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in three of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Pirates have a team OPS of .676 this season and an OPS of .707 against right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS sits at .775 overall and .801 against righties.
- Pittsburgh has posted 22.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 24.4 over its last five.
- The Pirates have hit 11 home runs in their last 10 games, including seven over their last five.
