In Game 0 of a NL Central doubleheader, the Pittsburgh Pirates are set to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The game will start at 2:15 p.m. ET and the matchup will be shown on either ATPT or FSMW.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (-150) is hosting this one as the favorite over Pittsburgh (+140) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this afternoon game at 9 runs. Odds for betting on the game’s total currently stand at -105 for the over and -115 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at -155 for the Pirates +1.5 runs and +135 for the Cardinals -1.5.
The Cardinals are 22-18 straight up (SU) and 23-16 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 3.1 units for moneyline bettors and 8.3 units ATS. The Pirates have gone 19-17 SU this year and are 19-16 against the spread. Overall, the club has gained 2.0 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in the season’s early going and 0.6 units ATS.
St. Louis games have an over/under record of 20-16-3 so far in 2019. Pittsburgh has an over/under record of 17-17-1.
Steven Brault will get the start for the visiting Pirates. The left-handed Brault (0-1, 7.11 ERA) has recorded 16 strikeouts in 12.2 innings so far. He’s 0-1 with two strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA against St. Louis this year.
The Cardinals are putting the ball in the hands of righty Dakota Hudson (2-3, 4.63 ERA), who has 29 punchouts and 18 walks, along with a 1.77 WHIP. Hudson is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA against Pittsburgh this year.
As a unit, St. Louis’ pitchers have given up 4.4 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starters have a 4.35 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.79 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 10.5 K/9. In 23 games against divisional foes, Cardinals starters have an ERA of 5.24 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.90.
The St. Louis offense has produced 5.0 runs per contest, including 5.3 per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .215/.308/.282 over its last five contests and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Paul DeJong has helped lead the Cardinals’ offense this season with seven home runs, 19 RBIs and 32 runs scored.
In the visiting dugout, Pittsburgh’s pitching staff allowed 4.6 runs per game and its starters own a 3.65 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 7.88 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 4.75, along with a WHIP of 1.19.
Pirates hitters have slashed .234/.296/.370 on their way to 3.6 runs scored per game this season, including 3.4 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).
Pittsburgh’s offense has been led by Josh Bell. Bell is slashing .299/.368/.619 with nine home runs, 29 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
The Pirates are coming off a 2-1 victory in the prior game of this series.
Pirates vs. Cardinals MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in four of St. Louis’ last seven games.
- The Pirates have hit 10 home runs in their last 10 games. The Cardinals have hit seven over their last 10.
- The Pirates have an OPS of .667 this season and an OPS of .693 when facing right-handed pitchers. The Cardinals’ OPS stands at .761 overall and .787 against righties.
- St. Louis has recorded 18.9 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 18.0 over its last five.
- The Cardinals have lost four of their last five games SU.
