Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/19/24

The forecast looks good in St. Louis for Thursday’s Pirates vs. Cardinals matchup, with the temperature sitting in the upper 80s and clear skies. The game will get started at 7:15 PM ET from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and BSMW will be carrying the game on TV.

The Cardinals are favored on the money line, with the odds sitting at -139 compared to the Pirates at +119. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the Cardinals will be looking to extend their three-game winning streak, while the Pirates are 71-81 and have lost three straight.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS VS PITTSBURGH PIRATES BETTING PICK

The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline -139

This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 7:15 ET on Thursday, September 19th.

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

It was all St. Louis in the last game of this series, as the Cardinals took down the Pirates by a score of 10-5. The Cardinals offense only had two more hits than the Pirates and struck out eight times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -204 on the money line.

Pittsburgh actually got on the board first in this game, scoring two runs in the 4th inning. As for the Cardinals, they didn’t get on the board until the 2nd inning but exploded for six runs in the 7th. Heading into that inning, the game was tied at 2-2.

Sonny Gray got the start for the Cardinals, going just 5 2/3 innings while giving up four runs and striking out eight. Michael McGreevy came out of the bullpen for the win. Jake Woodford only went 4 2/3 innings for the Pirates, giving up four earned runs on eight hits.

Pirates Records & Stats

Pittsburgh is 71-81 overall and is 17 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates have dropped three straight games and trail the Reds by 2.5 games for 4th place in the division. So far, they are 22-23 in divisional matchups.

At home, the Pirates are 38-40 this season and 33-41 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates are 37-53 this season, and they are 34-28 when favored. Pittsburgh’s road losing streak as the underdog is at four straight games, and their overall record as the road underdog is 22-34 this year. So far, they have an overall series record of 20-21-6.

The Pirates have been a solid team to bet on the run line this season, as they are 81-71. They have been particularly good on the road, going 43-31 on the run line. However, they have failed to cover the run line in their last four road games.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals today. The over/under line for this game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.8 runs per game. Overall, the Pirates have a 74-76 over/under record this season. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Pirates have a 16-18 over/under record. In 49.3% of their games this season, the over/under line has been set at 8 runs or higher.

Pittsburgh is sending Luis L. Ortiz to the mound today vs. the Cardinals, and he comes in with a record of 6-6 and an ERA of 3.45. So far this year, he has made 13 starts, 17 of which have come on the road. Ortiz’s ERA on the road is the same as his overall mark, 3.45. Looking back at his last three outings, he has finished with a loss in two straight starts. Most recently, he gave up four earned runs in four innings of work vs. the Royals. Ortiz has allowed at least one homer in each of his last three outings.

For the season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. Their team batting average of .236 is also below average. Pittsburgh’s offense has been led by Bryan Reynolds, who is batting .280 for the season and has a team-high 85 RBIs and 22 homers. Bryan De La Cruz and Andrew McCutchen are also tied for 2nd on the team with 20 homers.

De La Cruz and Billy Cook have both struggled at the plate of late, with De La Cruz going 2/15 in his last four games and Cook going 3/13 in his last five games. However, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is batting .400 over his last five games.

Cardinals Records & Stats

With an overall record of 77-75, the Cardinals are 11 games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. St. Louis will be at home today, and they are 26-25 in divisional games this year. The Cardinals have won three straight games, and they have taken a 3-0 series lead over the Pirates.

At home, the Cardinals are 42-35 this year, and they are just below .500 at 35-40 on the road. St. Louis has won five straight games at home, and they are 27-25 as the home favorite this year. As the underdog, the Cardinals are 40-40 this season, and they are 23-20-5 in series this year.

St. Louis has been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 77-75. They have been particularly good on the run line at home, where they are 39-38. They have covered the run line in four straight games at home and in three straight games overall. They have been a better bet on the run line as the underdog, going 52-28, compared to 25-47 as the favorite. Their average run differential in wins is +2.8, compared to -3.6 in losses.

The St. Louis Cardinals have played in 82 games with over/under lines set at 8 runs or more, which accounts for 53.9% of their games this season. Their games have averaged 8.6 runs per game, and their over/under record is 71-77 on the season. Today’s over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is right around their season average.

St. Louis is sending Erick Fedde to the mound today, and he comes into the game with a record of 8-9 and an ERA of 3.45. Fedde has made 29 starts this season and has pitched well at home, coming in with a record of 6-4 and an ERA of 2.14. Out of his 29 starts, Fedde has turned in 11 quality starts and is averaging 7.72 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Fedde finished with a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. Before that, he had lost three straight starts.

Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 24th in the MLB. As a team, they are batting .246, which is 10th in the league. St. Louis has been led in home runs by Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt, who both have 21 homers. Burleson also leads the team with 73 RBIs, while Goldschmidt is 4th on the team with 60 RBIs.

Brendan Donovan has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 8/27 in his last eight games with two homers and five RBIs. Overall, he is hitting .271 for the season. Jordan Walker is also on a good stretch, going 6/21 in his last eight games with two homers and six RBIs. Walker also has a five-game hitting streak coming into today’s game.