The St. Louis Cardinals are ready to take on their NL Central foe Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The action starts at 1:35 p.m. ET and you can watch the game on either ATPT or FSMW.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Both teams have identical moneyline odds (-105) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under for this one at 8.5 runs (+100 for the over and -120 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the games spread with the runline odds standing at +140 for the Cardinals -1.5 runs and -160 for the Pirates +1.5.
The Pirates are 57-54 straight up (SU) and 52-58 against the spread (ATS). The team hasn’t moved the needle much for gamblers, gaining 3.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline while earning 8.0 units (ATS). Pittsburgh has covered the spread only once in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are 57-54 SU and have gone 54-56 ATS. In total, the teams lost 9.1 units for moneyline gamblers and 5.2 units ATS. St. Louis is 3-4 ATS over its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Pittsburgh games have had an over/under record of 53-49-8 in 2018. St. Louis has an over/under record of 52-54-4.
Jack Flaherty will get the nod for the visiting Cardinals. The right-handed Flaherty is 4-6 with a 3.49 ERA and 111 strikeouts. He’s 1-1 with 11 strikeouts and a 3.94 ERA against Pittsburgh this year (three starts).
The Pirates will send righty Trevor Williams (9-7, 3.89 ERA) to the mound. Williams has 77 strikeouts and 40 walks to his name, as well as a 1.24 WHIP. Williams is 1-1 with nine strikeouts and a 6.60 ERA over three starts against St. Louis this year.
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have given up 4.6 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 4.26, a WHIP of 1.31 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.4. The bullpen has a 4.27 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 9.7 K/9. In 46 divisional games, Pirates starters have an ERA of 3.46 and the bullpens ERA is 3.89.
The Pittsburgh hitters are putting up 4.5 runs per outing, including 4.9 per game against divisional foes and 3.6 per game over their last five. The team has a slash-line of .253/.316/.364 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that stretch.
Outfielders Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte have led the Pirates hitters this year. Dickerson is hitting .317/.351/.516 with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and 50 runs scored, while Marte’s line is .288/.336/.488 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs, 59 runs and 25 stolen bases.
For the visiting squad, St. Louis pitchers have allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 3.58 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8.14 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.41, along with a WHIP of 1.26.
Cardinals hitters have slashed .249/.324/.405 on their way to 4.5 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 5.2 per game over the teams last five outings (3-2 SU).
Outfielder Marcell Ozuna and third baseman Matt Carpenter continue to lead St. Louis hitters. Ozuna is slashing .265/.310/.389 with 13 home runs, 59 RBIs and 44 runs scored. Carpenter (.283/.396/.591) is up to 28 homers, 59 RBIs and 73 runs scored.
The Cardinals have lost 9.2 units and are 38-41 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 34 of those games, compared to 41 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Pirates have netted 8.3 units and are 40-40 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 34 of those games, compared to 39 that went under.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Pirates, O/U – OVER
etting Trends
- St. Louis has tallied 15 extra-base hits over its last five contests. Pittsburgh has 11 XBH over its last five.
- The Cardinals have won three of their last four games SU.
- The St. Louis defense has allowed four errors over the last 10 games, compared to 10 errors for Pittsburgh over its last 10.
- Each team has hit nine home runs over its last 10 games.
