St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Pick & Prediction 7/2/24
At 6:40 PM ET, the Cardinals and Pirates will face off in an NL Central matchup. This one is taking place at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, and the Pirates are the slight favorites on the money line (-125). The Cardinals have a record of 43-40, while the Pirates are 40-43.
The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and BSMW will be televising this one. Kyle Gibson is starting for the Cardinals, and he will be facing off against Mitch Keller.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates Moneyline -125
This game will be played at PNC Park at 6:40 ET on Tuesday, July 2nd.
HOW TO BET THE CARDINALS VS PIRATES:
- We have the Pirates winning by a score of 5 to 4
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Cardinals to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Cardinals Records & Stats
Heading into their last game vs. the Reds, the Cardinals closed out the series with a 2-0 win. Leading up to thethe game, they were the slight favorite at -120 on the money line. Offensively, the Cardinals only scored two runs but did so on seven hits. Pedro Pagés was hot at the plate, going 3/4 with a run scored.
Lance Lynn got the start for the Cardinals, going six innings, and didn’t give up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out six Reds batters. Ryan Helsley closed things out in the 9th, picking up the save.
St. Louis is on the road today to take on the Pirates, and they are 2nd in the NL Central, six games behind the Brewers. The Cardinals have an overall record of 43-40, and they are 11-11 in divisional matchups this year.
So far, the Cardinals have been good at home, going 24-18, and they are just below .500 at 19-22 on the road. St. Louis has been good as the favorite this year, putting up a mark of 22-19. As for their record as the underdog, they are 21-21 and have dropped two straight on the road as the underdog.
When the Cardinals are on the road, they have a run line record of 18-23, and their average run margin is -0.8 runs per game. As the underdog, they are 26-16 vs. the run line, but as the favorite, they are just 16-25.
St. Louis has been a slightly below-average team in terms of runs scored and allowed, with a combined average of 8.4 runs per game. The Cardinals have played 80 games this season, and 56 of them have had over/under lines set at 8 or lower. When the line has been set at 8.5, the over has gone 15-11. Today’s line is set at 8.5, and the over has hit in 20.5% of their games this season.
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. He has made 15 starts this year and has a record of 5-3 with a 3.70 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Gibson has a WHIP of 1.24 and opponents are batting .225 this year. In his last outing, he took the loss, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Gibson’s ERA on the road is 2.82, compared to 4.69 at home.
For the season, the Cardinals are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. They have been slightly better at home, putting up 4.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .239, which is 14th in the league, and have the 17th home run total in the league.
St. Louis has a few guys who are among the league leaders in home runs, including Nolan Gorman, who is batting just .187 but has 16 homers, and Alec Burleson, who has 12 homers and is batting .278. Brendan Donovan is batting .264 and has driven in a team-high 41 runs. Over his last six games, Nolan Arenado has gone 6/22 with a homer and two RBIs.
Pirates Records & Stats
The Pirates pulled off a big upset to close out their series vs. the Braves, picking up a 4-2 win. Pittsburgh was the +166 underdog on the money line going into this matchup. Things really turned in their favor with a four-run 5th inning, and the Braves could only score two runs, both of which came in the 4th.
Bailey Falter put together a good start for the Pirates, going five innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. Pittsburgh’s offense was carried by Oneil Cruz, who went 2/3 with a homer and two RBIs.
Pittsburgh will host the Cardinals with an overall record of 40-43, which has them 3rd in the NL Central. Currently, they are nine games behind the Brewers for the division lead. In the NL Central, they have gone 12-11 this season. The Pirates closed out their series vs. the Braves with a loss, dropping the series 2-1.
At home, the Pirates are 19-20 this season compared to 21-23 on the road. So far, they have been under .500 both as the favorite and underdog, going 15-18 as the favorite and 25-25 as the underdog. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 11-12-4 this year.
The Pirates have been a solid run line play this season, going 45-38 overall. They have been better on the road, going 26-18, compared to 19-20 at home. They have been a better play as an underdog, going 34-16, compared to 11-22 as the favorite. Their average run margin is -0.4, with a -0.1 run differential on the road and -0.7 at home. In their wins, they have an average run margin of 3.0, compared to -3.6 in their losses.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have seen their share of low-scoring games this season, with an average combined run total of 8.4 runs per game. Their over/under record is 38-44, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, they have gone over 14 times and under 11 times. Overall, 53% of their games have had lower lines than 8.5 runs, and they are currently on a four-game under streak.
Pittsburgh is turning to right-hander Mitch Keller today vs. the Cardinals. Keller has made 16 starts this year and has a record of 9-4 with a 3.20 ERA. So far, he has turned in nine quality starts, and opponents are batting .240 off him this year. In his last outing, Keller picked up the win, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs on six hits. Before that, he had gone seven innings without giving up an earned run. Keller’s ERA at home is 2.65 compared to 4.04 on the road.
So far this season, the Pirates offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 23rd in the MLB. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.8 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .227 and have the 18th most home runs in the league.
One bright spot for the Pirates has been the play of Bryan Reynolds, who is batting .275 for the season and has gone 9/29 in his last seven games. Reynolds also has a team-high 46 RBIs and 13 homers. Oneil Cruz is 2nd on the team with 12 homers but has struggled of late, going just 5/25 in his last seven games.