The St. Louis Cardinals (43-40) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (40-43) on Tuesday, July 2nd. This game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and televised on BSMW. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.
Cardinals vs. Pirates Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Pirates (-125)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs
- Pirates have scored 4 or more runs in 6 of their last 15 games, showing offensive potential.
- Pirates have won 3 out of their last 4 home games, indicating strong recent home performance.
- In their last 15 games, the Pirates have held opponents to 3 or fewer runs in 6 games, demonstrating solid pitching.
- In their last series against the Cardinals, the Pirates won 1 out of 3 games, showing they can compete with their opponent.
- The Pirates have a balanced record of 5-5 in their last 10 games, indicating consistent performance.
Cardinals vs Pirates
The Cardinals Are Coming Off A Win
The Cardinals’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Reds, closing out their series with a 2-0 win. After scoring their first run in the 2nd inning, the Cardinals added another run in the 5th to pick up the 2-0 win. St. Louis was the slight favorite at -120 going into the game.
Lance Lynn put together a good start for the Cardinals, going six innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out six Reds batters. St. Louis’s bullpen closed things out, and Ryan Helsley picked up the save.
St. Louis has a 43-40 overall record and is six games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They have a 14-11-2 series record this year, and their run line record is 42-41. As underdogs on the road, the Cardinals are 13-16, while they are 22-19 as favorites.
Cardinals games have averaged 8.4 runs per game this season, and the over has gone 15-11 when the total is 8.5. Heading into today’s game, the over has hit in 20.5% of their matchups this season.
Kyle Gibson Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Right-hander Kyle Gibson gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Pirates on the road. So far this season, he has made 15 starts 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 has turned in eight quality starts. In his most recent outing, Gibson took the loss, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One positive note for Gibson is that his ERA on the road is 2.82, compared to 4.69 at home.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Cardinals are averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the MLB. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.1 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .239, which is 14th in the league, and have the 17th ranked home run total in the league. One area they have been really struggling is in the power department, as their isolated power (ISO) of .137 is just 21st in the league.
Heading into the game, Brendan Donovan leads the team with 41 RBIs, and Alec Burleson and Nolan Gorman are the team’s top home run hitters. Gorman has 16 homers this season but has a batting average of just .187. Arenado and Herrera are both on good streaks right now, with Arenado hitting .273 over his last six games and Herrera on a five-game hitting streak.
The Pirates Are Coming Off A Win
The Pirates are coming off a big 4-2 win over the Braves to close out their series. This was especially impressive, as they were the +166 underdog on the money line. It was a four-run 2nd inning that really turned things in their favor, 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.
The Pirates have a 45-38 run line record, with an average margin of victory of 3.0 runs in their wins. As underdogs, they are 34-16 vs. the run line. Overall, they are 19-20 at home vs. the run line. Pittsburgh’s over/under record is 38-44, and the under has hit in their last four games.
In the NL Central, the Pirates are in 3rd place with a 40-43 record, trailing the Brewers by nine games. They have a 12-11 record against divisional opponents. Pittsburgh is starting a series vs. the Cardinals at home, where they are 19-20 this season.
Mitch Keller Gets The Start For The Pirates
Mitch Keller will be looking to build off his last outing, where he picked up the win vs. the Reds. In that start, he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up three earned runs. Looking at his overall numbers, Keller has made 16 starts and has a record of 9-4. His ERA for the season is 3.20, along with a WHIP of 1.22. Keller has turned in nine quality starts this year and is averaging 8.33 strikeouts per nine innings. So far, he has allowed eight homers. Per nine innings, Keller is giving up 2.47 walks. Against the Cardinals this year, he is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Pirates have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league, as they are just 23rd in runs per game (4.0) and are near the bottom of the league in most key offensive categories. This includes team batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. As a team, they are averaging 3.8 runs per game at home and 4.2 runs per game on the road.
Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top offensive player this season, as he is batting .275 with a team-high 46 RBIs and 13 homers. Reynolds has also been hot of late, going 9/29 in his last seven games with two homers. Oneil Cruz is also having a solid season with 12 homers and 36 RBIs, but he has hit just .239 so far this season and is batting only .200 in his last seven games.
Cardinals vs Pirates Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Cardinals vs. Pirates matchup is to take the Pirates on the money line, with the payout being -125. We have the Pirates winning this one by a score of 5-4, giving us a little bit of wiggle room with the over/under line sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Mitch Keller finishing with six strikeouts, which would have him as the fourth-best starter in terms of K’s. As for Kyle Gibson, we have him finishing with five strikeouts, which would have him in the middle of the pack.
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:July 2, 2024 Cardinals, Pirates