The Pittsburgh Pirates (32-34) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (31-34) on Wednesday, June 12th. This game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and televised on BSMW. 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 6:45 CT.
Pirates vs Cardinals
Pittsburgh picked up a 2-1 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had just three hits in the game but took advantage of their opportunities, scoring two runs in the 9th inning to pick up the win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -145 on the money line.
St. Louis wasted a good outing from Miles Mikolas, as he gave up just one hit and no earned runs in seven innings of work for the Cardinals. Ryan Helsley took the loss. Colin Holderman got the win out of the bullpen for the Pirates as Paul Skenes went 6 1/3 innings, giving up five hits and no earned runs.
Nolan Gorman hit the game’s only home run while going 1/4 with two RBIs, but it came in a losing effort. Alec Burleson also had a three-hit game for St. Louis.
Pittsburgh is 32-34 overall and 6.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Pirates are 8-7 in divisional games and have won two straight games as the underdog. So far, they have an even 16-17 record both at home and on the road.
The Pirates have won two straight games as the underdog, and they are 22-19 as the underdog overall. As the favorite, Pittsburgh is just 10-15 this year. They are also 8-9-4 in series this year and have won two straight series.
When it comes to the run line, the Pirates have been a solid bet on the road, going 20-13 this season. They have been especially profitable as the underdog, going 29-12. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.0, compared to -3.4 in losses.
Today’s over/under line of 8 runs is right around the average for Pittsburgh Pirates games this season. The Pirates have played 65 games, and 42.4% of them have had higher over/under lines than today’s. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 34-31.
Bailey Falter Gets The Start For The Pirates
Bailey Falter gets the start for the Pirates today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Dodgers, where he gave up five earned runs in four innings of work. In that outing, he gave up two homers. Overall, Falter has a record of 3-3 and an ERA of 3.69. Looking at his home/road splits, he has a record of 1-2 on the road with a 4.65 ERA compared to 2-1 at home with a 4.05 ERA. Falter has made six quality starts this year and is averaging 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Heading into today’s game, Bryan Reynolds is on a nine-game hitting streak and is batting .263 for the season, with a team-high 35 RBIs. Reynolds is also 2nd on the team with eight homers. Reynolds has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/20 in his last five games. Oneil Cruz is also swinging the bat well, going 5/18 in his last five games, with two homers and six RBIs.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in strikeouts, and their team OPS of .659 is 26th in the MLB. So far, they are batting just .230 and have a collective on-base percentage of .301.
St. Louis is hosting the Pirates today, and they are 3rd in the NL Central, seven games behind the Brewers. The Cardinals and Cubs are both 7.0 games back, and St. Louis is 31-34 overall. The Cardinals have gone just 5-8 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Cardinals are 15-15 this season compared to a 16-19 mark on the road. So far, they have been the favorite in 31 games, going 16-15 as the favorite. As for their record as the underdog, the Cardinals are 15-19 this year. St. Louis’ overall series record is 10-10-1, and they are 4-6 in their last 10 games overall.
When the St. Louis Cardinals win, they win big, with an average run margin of +2.5. But when they lose, they lose by an average of -3.5 runs. Their overall run line record is 32-33, with a -0.6 average run margin. They are 16-14 against the run line at home and 16-19 on the road. As the underdog, they are 20-14 against the run line, compared to 12-19 as the favorite. They have covered the run line in their last two home games.
The over/under line for today’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates is set at 8 runs. The Cardinals have played in 35 games this season with over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which is 53.8% of their games. Their over/under record for the season is 28-34, and they have gone 4-7-1 in games with lines set at 8 runs. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Sonny Gray Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and is looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Rockies. In that start, he took the loss, going 4 2/3 innings and giving up three earned runs. Before that outing, Gray had picked up the win in three straight starts. Gray’s ERA for the season is 3.21, along with a record of 7-4. Opponents have a batting average of .195 vs. Gray this season. Looking at his home/away splits, Gray is 4-2 at home with a 1.70 ERA compared to 3-2 on the road with a 5.40 ERA.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
St. Louis has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league so far this season, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. This is the 24th best mark in the league. They have been a little better at home, putting up 4.1 runs per contest. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .235, which is 13th in the league, and their team on-base percentage of .306 is also 13th in the MLB.
Over his last seven games, Alec Burleson has gone 10/28 with two homers and four runs scored. For the season, he is batting .283 with nine homers. Nolan Gorman has struggled of late, going just 5/28 in his last seven games, but he does lead the team with 33 RBIs and 15 homers.
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction
Our pick for this Pirates vs. Cardinals matchup is to take the Pirates on the money line, where they are offering a payout of +144. We actually have the Pirates winning this one by a final score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Sonny Gray finishing with six strikeouts compared to Bailey Falter with just four. Offensively, we have the Pirates finishing with nine hits compared to the Cardinals with eight.
If you are looking for a parlay, you could look to pair the Pirates with the over, as the line is currently sitting at eight runs, and we have these teams combining for nine runs.
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:June 12, 2024 Cardinals, Pirates