The Pittsburgh Pirates will face off against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. The matchup gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET and fans can watch the game on either ATPT or FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Pittsburgh (-115) is hosting this one as the favorite over St. Louis (+105) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). The games most recent runline odds stand at -200 for taking the Cardinals +1.5 runs and +170 for the Pirates -1.5.
The Pirates are 56-53 straight up (SU) and 52-57 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle a lot for gamblers, gaining 2.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 7.0 units (ATS). Pittsburgh has covered the spread just once in its last seven games and the under has hit in three of those seven. The Cardinals have gone 56-53 SU this year and are 53-56 ATS. Overall, the teams lost 8.1 units for moneyline bettors and 6.2 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the under has cashed in four of those seven.
Pittsburgh games have an over/under record of 52-49-8 in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 51-54-4.
Austin Gomber is getting the start for the visiting Cards. Gomber is 1-0 with a 3.22 ERA and 18 strikeouts. He’s 0-0 with two strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA against Pittsburgh this year.
The Pirates are putting the ball in the hands of righty Ivan Nova (6-6, 4.33 ERA), who has 82 strikeouts and 22 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.29. Nova has yet to face the Cardinals this year, but he made four starts against them in 2017, posting a 1-2 record with a 4.18 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have given up 4.5 runs per game overall this year as a unit. The clubs starters have a 4.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.26 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. In 44 games against NL Central opponents, Pirates starters have an ERA of 3.29 and the bullpens ERA is 3.84.
Pittsburgh’s hitters have produced 4.5 runs per contest, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .261/.335/.354 over its last five contests and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte have led the Pirates offense this year. Dickerson is slashing .318/.351/.517 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and 50 runs scored, and Marte is batting .287 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs, 57 runs and 25 stolen bases.
For the visiting squad, St. Louis pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.48 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 8.09 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.49, along with a WHIP of 1.24 and a K-per-9 of 8.43.
The Cardinals offense has slashed .247/.321/.401 on its way to 4.4 runs scored per game this year, including 4.6 runs per game against divisional foes and 3.8 per game over the teams last five outings (3-2 SU).
Left fielder Marcell Ozuna and third baseman Matt Carpenter continue to lead St. Louis offense. Ozuna is slashing .268/.311/.393 with 13 home runs, 59 RBIs and 43 runs scored, while Carpenter (.279/.389/.571) has produced 26 homers, 57 RBIs and 70 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 8.2 units and are 37-41 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The overs hit in 33 of those games, compared to 41 that’ve gone under against ies.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Cardinals, O/U – OVER
Betting Trends
- The over has cashed in three of St. Louis last seven games.
- The Cardinals have hit eight home runs in their last 10 games. The Pirates have hit 13 over their last 10.
- St. Louis has recorded 20.0 runs + hits + errors per game over its last 10 outings and 18.6 over its last five.
