The St. Louis Cardinals (52-48) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (51-49) on Tuesday, July 23rd. This game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and televised on SN PT. The Pirates are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Cardinals are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 5:40 CT.
Cardinals vs. Pirates Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Pirates (-180)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs
- The Pirates have won 8 of their last 10 games, showcasing strong recent form.
- In the last 15 games, the Pirates have scored 4 or more runs in 10 games, indicating consistent offensive production.
- The Pirates have a home record of 25-25, while the Cardinals have an away record of 26-26, suggesting a balanced matchup with a slight home advantage for the Pirates.
- In their last 3 home games against the Cardinals, the Pirates have won 2 out of 3, showing recent head-to-head success at home.
- The Pirates have outscored their opponents by a total of 20 runs in their last 15 games, demonstrating effective run differential.
Cardinals vs Pirates
Pittsburgh picked up a 2-1 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a chance to win by more, but the Cardinals scored their only run in the 5th inning. Heading into the game, the Pirates were favored at -122 on the money line.
Both teams had just three hits in the game, and the Pirates actually had more strikeouts (5) than hits. As for the Cardinals, they struck out 10 times. Pittsburgh’s offense was led by Rowdy Tellez, who went 2/4 with a double and scored both of the Pirates’ runs.
Mitch Keller pitched well for the Pirates in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run on six hits. He finished the game with three strikeouts and two walks. Aroldis Chapman got the win out of the bullpen, and David Bednar got the save.
St. Louis has a 52-48 record and are five games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. They have dropped two straight games and are 4-6 in their last 10. The Cardinals are 26-26 on the road this season and 16-12-3 in series matchups.
When the over/under line is set at 7.5, the Cardinals’ games have gone under 13 times and over 7 times. Their games have had an average total of 8.6 runs, and the under has hit in their last two games. Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals have covered the run line in six straight road games and are 4-0 as underdogs in that span.
Lance Lynn Gets The Start For The Cardinals
St. Louis is sending right-hander Lance Lynn to the mound today vs. the Pirates. He has made 19 starts this season and has a record of 5-4 with an ERA of 4.39. Lynn’s WHIP for the season is 1.39, and he has a batting average allowed of .249. In his 19 appearances, Lynn has turned in six quality starts and is averaging 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he pitched, Lynn picked up the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs vs. the Cubs. Before that, he had given up a combined 14 earned runs in 8 2/3 innings of work.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
St. Louis has been one of the better home run hitting teams in the league this season, but they are just 17th in the league in scoring and are batting a collective .246. One thing that has been working in their favor is their collective batting average on balls in play, which is 6th in the league. Alec Burleson is one of the league’s top home run hitters this season and has been even better of late, going 15/41 in his last 10 games with four homers and 14 RBIs.
For the season, Burleson is batting .293 with 18 homers, which is 2nd on the team and 15th in the league. Nolan Gorman also has 19 homers this season but is batting just .206. Gorman is 2nd on the team in RBIs, while Burleson is currently leading the Cardinals in that category.
After winning eight of their last ten games, the Pirates are now just one game behind the Cardinals for 2nd place in the NL Central. Pittsburgh’s overall record as the favorite is 22-19, and they have won seven straight games in that role. As the underdog, they have a 29-30 record, including a 40-19 run line record.
This season, the Pirates have played 74 games with over/under lines higher than today’s 7.5 runs, resulting in a 46-53 over/under record. The Pirates have averaged 8 runs per game this season, and their games have had an average run total of 6.9 runs.
Paul Skenes Gets The Start For The Pirates
Through 11 starts, Paul Skenes has yet to take a loss, coming in with a record of 6-0 and an ERA of 1.90. Skenes has made nine quality starts this year and is coming off a game in which he didn’t allow a run. In that outing vs. the Brewers, he went seven innings, giving up just one hit and one walk. Looking at his overall numbers, Skenes is averaging 12.08 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed just seven home runs. At home, his ERA is 3.17 compared to 0.9 on the road.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Over the past seven games, Oneil Cruz has been swinging a hot bat for the Pirates, going 9/29 with a homer and 10 RBIs. Bryan Reynolds has also been hitting the ball well of late, going 12/31 in his last eight games with a homer and five RBIs. Reynolds is the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .288 with 18 homers and 61 RBIs.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game and are batting just .233, which is 18th in the MLB. Their team on-base percentage of .300 is also 21st in the league. Pittsburgh’s offense has been led by Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz, who have the top two home run totals on the team.
Cardinals vs Pirates Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Cardinals vs. Pirates game is that the Pirates will pick up a 6-5 win. However, with the Pirates being -180 on the money line, we are actually recommending taking the over, as there is a lot of value with the over/under sitting at 7.5 runs.
If you’re looking for a starting pitcher to pick up a win, we have Paul Skenes of the Pirates as a better option than Lance Lynn. However, we have Skenes going just five innings, and his strikeout numbers are also not great, as we have him finishing with six K’s.
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 23, 2024 Cardinals, Pirates