The Pittsburgh Pirates will be squaring off against their division rival St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The matchup begins at 2:15 p.m. ET and you can watch it on both ATPT and FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Odds
Oddsmakers have listed Pittsburgh (+140) as the underdog to St. Louis (-150). Bettors can gamble on the games total with odds sitting at -115 for over 8.5 runs and -105 for under 8.5. The games runline odds sit at -155 for taking the Pirates +1.5 runs and +135 for the Cardinals -1.5.
The Cardinals are 30-25 SU and 27-27 ATS. The teams lost 0.4 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.8 units against the spread (ATS). St. Louis has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in three of those seven. The Pirates have gone 30-27 SU this year and are 25-31 ATS. In total, the teams lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors and 6.1 units ATS. Pittsburgh’s covered the spread only twice over its last seven games and the under has cashed in three of those seven.
St. Louis games have a 21-29-4 over/under record so far in 2018. The Pirates have been a decent over bet with a total record of 28-22-6.
The right-handed Chad Kuhl is projected to start for the visiting Pirates. Kuhl is 4-3 with a 3.94 ERA and 58 strikeouts. This is his first outing against St. Louis this year. He did make four starts against the team in 2017, putting together a 1-1 record with a 3.27 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
The Cardinals are going with righty Luke Weaver (3-5, 4.63 ERA), who’s got 53 punchouts and 20 walks to his name, as well as a 1.29 WHIP. Weaver is 0-1 with six strikeouts and a 6.75 ERA in one start against Pittsburgh this year.
Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.5 runs per game and its starters own a 4.09 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.40 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.28, along with a WHIP of 1.25.
The Pirates offense has slashed .258/.330/.426 on its way to 4.7 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.3 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over the teams last five outings (2-3 SU).
Pittsburgh’s hitters have been led by outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte, who’ve collectively blasted 12 home runs. Dickerson is hitting .314/.349/.495 with five home runs, 32 RBIs and 26 runs scored, while Marte (.303/.353/.497) is up to seven homers, 23 RBIs, 32 runs and 10 steals.
In the other dugout, St. Louis pitching staff has yielded 3.9 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starting pitching staff has a 3.03 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.47 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 8.3 K/9. In 29 divisional games, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 3.09 and the bullpens ERA is 4.38.
St. Louis hitters are putting up 4.3 runs per contest, including 4.7 per game against divisional foes and 4.2 per game over their last five. The team has hit .251/.302/.407 over its last five contests and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
First baseman Jose Martinez and left fielder Marcell Ozuna have led the Cardinals batters this year. Martinez is slashing .293/.364/.439 with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 21 runs scored, while Ozuna’s line sits at .265/.312/.340 with three homers, 23 RBIs and 20 runs.
Compared to his overall season slash line of .309/.379/.518, Martinez seemed to have a little trouble hitting right-handed pitching last year, slashing .282/.346/.427 over 237 plate appearances.
The Pirates have gained 0.6 units and are 21-23 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 19 of those games, compared to 19 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have lost 2.8 units and are 19-22 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 15 of those games, compared to 22 that went under the total.
Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- Pittsburgh fielders have committed three errors over their last five games, compared to eight errors for St. Louis over its last five.
- Each team has hit nine home runs over its last 10 games.
