Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/18/24
There is an NL Central matchup between the Pirates and Cardinals, with this one getting started at 7:45 PM ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO. The Cardinals are the heavy favorite on the money line at -202, while the Pirates are +168 underdogs. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs.
Pittsburgh will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak, as they are 71-80 overall. Jake Woodford will start for the Cardinals, who are 76-75 and have won two straight. Sonny Gray is slated to start for the Cardinals. SN PT will be televising this matchup.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: OVER 8 Runs
This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 7:45 ET on Wednesday, September 18th.
HOW TO BET THE PIRATES VS CARDINALS:
- We have the Cardinals winning by a score of 5 to 4
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Pirates to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
St. Louis picked up a 3-1 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a huge 2nd inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their only run in the 4th. 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, as he homered and scored three times. Bryan De La Cruz also had a home run for the Pirates, going 1/4.
Pirates Records & Stats
Pittsburgh is 71-80 overall this season, and they are 16 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates have gone 22-22 against other teams in the NL Central. Pittsburgh is looking to snap a two-game losing streak today, and they have dropped two straight to the Cardinals in this series.
At home, the Pirates are 38-40 this season, and they are 33-40 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates are 37-52 this year, and they have dropped three straight as the underdog overall. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 20-21-6, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games.
When looking at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ run line record, they have been a better bet on the road, going 43-30 compared to 38-40 at home. They have failed to cover the run line in three straight road games and have failed to cover in their last three games overall when they have been favored.
The Pirates have been one of the most unpredictable teams in terms of over/under lines this season. Their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game, but their over/under record is just 73-76. When the line has been set at 8 runs, they have gone over 16 times and under 18 times. In total, 75 of their games have had lines set at over 8 runs, which is 49.7% of their games. They have gone under in four straight games.
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, he has made one quality start and is averaging just 6.23 strikeouts per nine innings. Woodford’s ERA at home is 11.74 compared to 0.75 on the road, where he is 0-1. 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 three straight outings. The right-hander has taken the loss in four straight appearances.
Heading into today’s game, Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen are tied for the Pirates’ team lead in home runs, with 20 apiece. Reynolds is also the team’s leader in RBIs, with 85, while McCutchen is 5th on the team in RBIs, at 50. Reynolds comes into the game with a batting average of .280, while McCutchen is hitting just .235 for the season. However, Reynolds has gone 11/38 in his last 10 games, while McCutchen is batting just .207 over that stretch.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. Their team batting average of .235 is 16th in the MLB, and they are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts and on-base percentage. Overall, the Pirates are 21st in home runs and have a collective slugging percentage of just .370.
Cardinals Records & Stats
St. Louis is hosting the Pirates today with an overall record of 76-75, which has them 3rd in the NL Central. Currently, they trail the Brewers by 11 games in the division. The Cardinals have gone 25-25 against other teams in the NL Central this year.
The Cardinals have won two straight games, and this comes after taking the final game of their series vs. the Reds. At home, the Cardinals are 41-35 this year and 35-40 on the road. As the favorite, St. Louis has gone 36-35 and 40-40 as the underdog. They have won four straight games at home, and their overall series record is 23-20-5.
St. Louis has been a solid run line bet in 2021, going 76-75 overall. They are an even 38-38 against the run line at home and 38-37 on the road. The Cardinals have covered the run line in three straight home games and are 52-28 against the run line as an underdog this season.
The St. Louis Cardinals are playing at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Cardinals games this season is 8.5 runs per game, and their over/under record is 70-77. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Cardinals have gone 11-17-1 in those games. The over/under line for 54.3% of their games this season has been set at over 8 runs, and their current under streak is at 3 games.
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and is facing the Pirates at home. He has made 27 starts this year and has a record of 13-9 with a 3.75 ERA. Gray’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.07. In his 27 appearances, he has turned in 13 quality starts. Gray’s ERA at home is 2.74 compared to 5.58 on the road. Looking back at his last outing, Gray gave up just one earned run in six innings of work, picking up the win. Before that, he had given up at least five earned runs in three straight starts.
St. Louis comes into the game as one of the worst offensive teams in the league, averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 25th in the MLB. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 4 runs per contest. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .245, which is 10th in the league, and are 10th in on-base percentage. However, they are just 18th in slugging and have a collective OPS of .697.
Over his last eight games, Brendan Donovan has gone 9/27, and he is batting .270 for the season. Donovan is 3rd on the team with 64 RBIs and is 6th in home runs. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead with 21 homers, with Goldschmidt batting just .244 for the season.