The Pittsburgh Pirates (31-34) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (31-33) on Tuesday, June 11th. This game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and televised on SN PT. 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 Twins. First pitch is set for 6:45 CT.
Pirates vs Cardinals
The Pirates will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Twins with an 11-5 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 3rd inning before the Twins scored three runs in the inning. Minnesota really broke things open with a seven-run 10th. Pittsburgh was the -118 favorite at home going into the game.
Jared Jones had a rough outing, giving up six earned runs on six hits and issuing three walks. The Pirates also used Ben Heller, and he took the loss out of the bullpen. Heller only recorded one out and gave up seven earned runs. Rowdy Tellez was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a double, a run scored, and a walk. The Pirates also had three players with two hits.
Pittsburgh is 31-34 overall and trails the Brewers in the NL Central by 7.5 games. The Pirates are 5th in the division and will be starting this game on the road vs. the Cardinals. Like the Cardinals, the Pirates are 7-7 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Pirates are 16-17 this season and 15-17 on the road. So far, they are 9-15 as the favorite but have gone 22-19 as the underdog. Pittsburgh has won two straight series, and their overall series record is 8-9-4 this year.
Despite being under .500 overall, the Pirates have been a solid bet against the run line at 37-28. They have been especially good on the road, going 20-12 ATS. They have covered the run line in two straight road games and are 29-12 ATS as an underdog this season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 34-30. The average over/under line for their games is 8 runs, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 5-7. So far this season, 70.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Paul Skenes Gets The Start For The Pirates
Paul Skenes and the Pirates are on the road to take on the Cardinals. Skenes has been dominant in his first three starts, as he has yet to allow an earned run. In his last start, he went 5 innings and struck out 8, but did give up 6 hits and 1 home run.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Oneil Cruz has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates of late, going 5/15 with four runs and two homers over his last four games. For the season, Cruz is batting .247 with a team-high nine homers. Bryan Reynolds is also among the league’s top home run hitters, as his eight long balls are 2nd on the team and 14th in the MLB. Reynolds also leads the Pirates with 35 RBIs and is batting .262.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game and are batting .231. They are also among the league leaders in strikeouts, averaging 9 per game. Overall, their offense has been pretty average this season, as they are 20th in scoring and 18th in home runs.
The Cardinals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Rockies, closing out their series with a 5-1 win. After allowing one run to the Rockies in the top of the 1st, the Cardinals responded with a run of their own and added three more in the 2nd inning. St. Louis went on to close things out with another run in the 4th.
Andre Pallante put together a good start for the Cardinals, going five innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out six Rockies batters. Alec Burleson was hot at the plate, going 1/4 with a homer and scoring two runs. The Cardinals also had three other players with two hits.
St. Louis is hosting the Pirates today with an overall record of 31-33, and they are in 2nd place in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by seven games for the division lead. The Cardinals are just 5-7 in divisional games this year, and they split their series vs. the Rockies 2-2.
The Cardinals have been slightly better at home this year, going 15-14 compared to 16-19 on the road. As the underdog, St. Louis is 15-18 this year and 16-15 as the favorite. Heading into today’s game, they are 10-10-1 in series this year.
When the Cardinals win, they do so by an average of 2.5 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.6 runs. As a result, their average run differential for the season is -0.6 runs per game. Against the run line, they are 31-33 overall, including 15-14 at home and 16-19 on the road. As the favorite, they are 12-19, but as the underdog, they are 19-14.
The St. Louis Cardinals are hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates today, and the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average for Cardinals games this season is 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 28-33. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 4-10. Overall, 73.4% of their games this season have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs.
Miles Mikolas Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Miles Mikolas will be looking to build off his last outing, where he faced off against the Astros and picked up the win. In that start, he went 6 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. Looking at his overall numbers, Mikolas has made 13 starts and has a record of 4-6. His ERA for the season is 5.32, along with a WHIP of 1.28. Out of his 13 starts, Mikolas has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 6.72 strikeouts per nine innings. For the year, he has allowed 12 home runs. At home, Mikolas is 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
St. Louis comes into the game as one of the league’s worst scoring offenses, averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 24th in the MLB. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.2 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .235, which is 13th in the league, and their on-base percentage of .307 is 18th in the league.
Nolan Gorman has been the Cardinals’ top power threat this season, as his 14 home runs is 8th in the league. However, he is batting just .223. Alec Burleson has been a nice surprise for the team, as he is batting .273 and has gone deep 9 times this season. Burleson has gone 7/24 in his last six games, including two homers.
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction
With the Cardinals being the underdogs at +112, we see this as a great opportunity to take them on the money line. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Cardinals, giving you some value on the over, as well, as the line is currently sitting at 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Miles Mikolas is projected to finish with four strikeouts compared to Paul Skenes, who we have finishing with six. However, in terms of picking up a win, we have Mikolas finishing 11th compared to Skenes at 13th.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* 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.
Last updated:June 11, 2024 Cardinals, Pirates