The Pittsburgh Pirates (71-80) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (76-75) on Wednesday, September 18th. 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 Cardinals. First pitch is set for 6:45 CT.
Pirates vs. Cardinals Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Cardinals (-202)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Cardinals have won their last 2 games against the Pirates, scoring a total of 7 runs while allowing only 1 run.
- In their last 15 games, the Cardinals have a home record of 5-2, showing strong performance at home.
- The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 25 to 17 in their last 7 home games.
- The Cardinals have a better overall home record (41-35) compared to the Pirates’ away record (33-40).
- The Cardinals have won 5 out of their last 10 games, while the Pirates have lost 2 consecutive games.
Pirates vs Cardinals
St. Louis picked up a 3-1 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a huge 8th inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their only run in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Cardinals were favored at -153 on the money line.
Lance Lynn started for the Cardinals and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued two walks. As for the Pirates, Bailey Falter got the start and took the loss, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.
Jordan Walker was the difference for the Cardinals’ offense, as he homered, scored three times, and finished with two RBIs. Bryan De La Cruz also had a two-hit game for St. Louis. For the Pirates, Nick Yorke went 3/4.
The Pirates are 71-80 overall this season, and they are 16 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They have lost three straight on the road and are on a two-game losing streak overall. Their over/under record this season is 73-76, and the under has hit in their last four games.
Against the run line, the Pirates have a 43-30 record on the road but are 24-38 as favorites. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs, and their O/U record when the line is 8 runs is 16-18. So far this season, 49.7% of their games have had over/under lines greater than 8 runs.
Jake Woodford Gets The Start For The Pirates
Jake Woodford gets the start for the Pirates today and comes in with a record of 0-6 and an ERA of 8.01. So far this season, he has made six starts and one of them was a quality start. Woodford’s ERA at home is 11.74, compared to 0.75 on the road. In his last outing, he gave up three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. Woodford has allowed at least one homer in each of his last three outings. The right-hander has a WHIP of 1.61 this season.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen are tied for the team lead with 20 homers apiece. Reynolds has been the more consistent hitter overall, batting .280 for the season and .289 in his last 10 games. McCutchen, on the other hand, has gone just 6/29 in his last eight games and is batting just .235 for the season.
Overall, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235, and their team on-base percentage and OPS are also among the league’s worst.
St. Louis has a 41-35 record at home and is 3rd in the NL Central with a 76-75 overall record. They trail the Brewers by 11 games. As the underdog, the Cardinals have covered the run line 52 times compared to 24 times as the favorite. Their overall series record is 23-20-5.
The over/under line for today’s game is 8 runs, which is slightly below the Cardinals’ average line of 8.5 runs. Their over/under record for the season is 70-77, and the O/U line has been set at 8 runs in 54.3% of their games. St. Louis has a 11-17-1 O/U record when the line is 8 runs.
Sonny Gray Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Sonny Gray has been pitching well for the Cardinals, as he has made 27 starts and has a record of 13-9. Gray’s ERA is 3.75, and he most recently faced the Pirates on September 12th, where he picked up the win. In that outing, he went six innings and gave up just one earned run. Looking back at his last four outings, Gray has given up no more than one earned run in each of them. Gray’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.07, and opponents are batting .212 off the right-hander this year.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. As a team, they are batting .245, which is 10th in the league. St. Louis has been led in home runs by both Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt, who each have 21 homers this season. Goldschmidt is batting just .244 for the season, while Burleson is hitting .270.
Brendan Donovan has gone 9/27 in his last eight games, including one home run and three RBIs. For the season, he is batting .270 and is 3rd on the team with 64 RBIs. Jordan Walker is on a four-game hitting streak but is just 6/27 in his last 10 games.
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction
Our prediction for the Pirates vs. Cardinals game is to take the over, with the line sitting at 8 runs. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Cardinals, meaning there is some value on the money line, but we like the over more.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Sonny Gray is projected to finish with six strikeouts, which is 10th among starters. As for Jake Woodford, his projected strikeout total is seven, which is the second-best among starters. However, we still have the Cardinals coming out on top.
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:September 18, 2024 Cardinals, Pirates