The St. Louis Cardinals (52-47) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (50-49) on Monday, July 22nd. This game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and televised on BSMW. The Cardinals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Phillies. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.

Cardinals vs. Pirates Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Pirates (-132)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs

• The Pirates have won 8 of their last 15 games, showing a positive recent trend.
• In the last 15 games, the Pirates have scored 4 or more runs in 10 games, indicating strong offensive performance.
• The Pirates have a recent head-to-head win against the Cardinals, winning 5-4 on July 3rd.
• The Pirates have a better home record (24-25) compared to the Cardinals’ away record (26-25), giving them a slight edge at home.
• The Pirates have outscored their opponents by a total of 83 to 68 in the last 15 games, showcasing their ability to generate runs and limit opponents’ scoring.

Cardinals vs Pirates

The Cardinals Are Coming Off A Win

The Cardinals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Braves, closing out their series with a 6-2 win. After allowing one run to the Braves in the bottom of the first, the Cardinals responded with a run of their own. St. Louis went on to add another run in the 2nd inning and closed things out with a 3-run 4th.

On the money line, the Cardinals were the slight underdog at +123. Miles Mikolas put together a good start for the Cardinals, going six innings and giving up just two runs on seven hits. He only had three strikeouts in the outing and got the win.

St. Louis has a 52-47 record and is five games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals have won two straight games and are 16-12-3 in series this season. Against the run line, they are 50-49 overall and 25-26 on the road.

When the O/U line is set at 8.5 runs, the Cardinals have a 22-13 O/U record. The average run total in their games this season is 8.7. Today, the O/U line is 8.5 runs, which is slightly higher than their season average.

Andre Pallante Gets The Start For The Cardinals

St. Louis is sending right-hander Andre Pallante to the mound today vs. the Pirates. He has made 17 appearances this season and has a record of 4-4 with a 4.21 ERA. Pallante’s WHIP for the season is 1.38, and opponents are batting .248 off him this year. In his 51 1/3 innings of work, Pallante has issued 3.33 walks per nine innings compared to 7.19 strikeouts. The last time he took the mound, Pallante gave up four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings of work, taking the loss. Before that, he had won three straight starts.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

St. Louis comes into the game with a team batting average of .247, which is 10th in the league. They are also averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. The Cardinals have been pretty consistent at home and on the road, as they are 20th and 21st in runs scored in those respective categories. So far, they have been a good contact hitting team, as they have the 5th best BABIP in the league.

Right fielder Alec Burleson has been the team’s top hitter this season, batting .294 with a team-high 18 home runs. Over his last 10 games, he has gone 16/42 with five homers and 17 RBIs. Brendan Donovan is 4th on the team with a .274 batting average and has gone deep nine times this season. Nolan Gorman is also tied for the team lead with 18 homers but is batting just .205.

The Pirates Took The Last Game Of This Series

Pittsburgh is coming off a game in which they wasted several good performances. In their 6-0 loss to Philadelphia, Marco Gonzales was solid on the mound, giving up just two runs on six hits, and Joey Bart went 2/3 with a run scored. The Pirates also got a good outing from their bullpen, as they didn’t give up a run in their 3 1/3 innings of work.

However, the Pirates couldn’t get anything going offensively, and they wasted a good start from Gonzales. He took the loss, going 4 2/3 innings, and only gave up two earned runs. The Pirates also issued three walks and hit into a double play. Overall, they had just six hits.

As underdogs, the Pirates have a 40-19 run line record, and they are 55-44 overall vs. the run line this season. The over has hit in two straight games for Pittsburgh, bringing their O/U record to 46-52 for the year. The total for today’s game is set at 8.5 runs.

Pittsburgh has won six straight games as favorites and holds a 21-19 record when favored this season. They are currently in 3rd place in the NL Central, two games behind the Cardinals for the second spot. Overall, the Pirates are 50-49 and trail the Brewers by seven games in the division.

Mitch Keller Gets The Start For The Pirates

Mitch Keller will be looking to build off his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the White Sox, he went three innings, giving up two earned runs, three hits, and three walks. Keller did give up a homer in that outing. In his previous start, he had picked up the win, going eight innings and giving up just two earned runs. Keller’s ERA for the season is 3.46, along with a record of 10-5. For the year, he has made 19 starts, one of which was a complete game. Keller has 10 quality starts this season. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.27 strikeouts and 2.36 walks.

Pirates Offense Breakdown

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates most consistent hitter this season, batting .288 with a team-high 18 home runs and 61 RBIs. Reynolds has been even better of late, going 14/36 in his last nine games with two homers and seven RBIs. Oneil Cruz is also a player to watch in the Pirates lineup, as he has 15 homers and 50 RBIs while batting .252.

As a team, the Pirates are 21st in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. Overall, the Pirates are near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

Cardinals vs Pirates Prediction

Our predicted final score for this one is 6-5 in favor of the Pirates, and we recommend taking them on the money line at -132. Offensively, we have the Pirates finishing with 11 team hits, which is the 10th best among all teams today.

Looking at the starting pitchers, Mitch Keller is projected to finish with seven strikeouts, which is the second-best among all starters today. As for Andre Pallante, we have him finishing with just five K’s, and he ranks near the bottom in terms of his chances of picking up a win.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.