The Pittsburgh Pirates (32-35) travel to face off against the St. Louis Cardinals (32-34) on Thursday, June 13th. This game will be played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and televised on SN PT. The Cardinals are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pirates are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cardinals. First pitch is set for 1:15 CT.
Pirates vs Cardinals
It was all St. Louis in the last game of this series, as the Cardinals took down the Pirates by a score of 4-2. The Cardinals offense only had one more hit than the Pirates and struck out 13 times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -171 on the money line.
Pittsburgh wasted a good outing from Bailey Falter, as he gave up just one earned run in four innings of work for the Pirates. Sonny Gray put together a good start for the Cardinals, giving up just one earned run across seven innings of work.
Nolan Arenado went 3/4 with an RBI to lead the Cardinals’ offense. Ivan Herrera also had a three-hit game and scored a run for St. Louis.
Pittsburgh is 32-35 overall and trails the Brewers by 7.5 games in the NL Central. The Pirates are in 5th place in the division and are 8-8 against other NL Central teams this year. So far, they have been just below .500 both at home (16-17) and on the road (16-18).
The Pirates were able to even up their series with the Cardinals yesterday and are 8-9-4 in series this year. They have also won two straight series. As the underdog, the Pirates are 22-20 this year compared to 10-15 as the favorite. Over their last 10 games, the Pirates are 6-4.
Despite being a sub-.500 team overall, the Pirates have been a solid run line bet this season, going 37-30. They are 20-14 vs. the run line on the road, where they have an even scoring margin. They have been a better bet as an underdog, going 29-13 vs. the run line.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have played in 66 games with over/under lines this season, and the over has hit in 34 of them. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game, and the over/under line for their games has been set at 8.5 runs in 22 of their games. The under has hit in their last two games.
Mitch Keller Gets The Start For The Pirates
Mitch Keller has been pitching well for the Pirates, as he has won his last four starts. Most recently, he faced the Twins and picked up the win, going six innings and not giving up a run. Keller finished with eight strikeouts in the outing. This season, he has a record of 8-3, an ERA of 3.16, and a WHIP of 1.24. Opponents have a batting average of .248 off Keller this season. The right-hander has one complete game and eight quality starts this year. Per nine innings, Keller is averaging 8.36 strikeouts and 2.49 walks.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
Bryan Reynolds has been one of the Pirates’ top hitters this season, leading the team with 35 RBIs while batting .263. Reynolds is also on a 10-game hitting streak and has gone 11/33 in his last eight games. Oneil Cruz has also been swinging the bat well of late, going 7/26 with two homers in his last seven games. For the season, Cruz is batting .248 with a team-high nine homers.
As a team, the Pirates are averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have also been below average in terms of home runs, batting average, and on-base percentage. Overall, they are 19th in batting average and have the 19th ranked on-base percentage in the league.
St. Louis is set to host the Pirates today with an overall record of 32-34, and they are seven games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals are also tied with the Cubs for the division lead, and they are 6-8 in divisional games this year. So far, the Cardinals are 16-15 at home compared to a road record of 16-19.
As the favorite, the Cardinals have gone 17-15 this year and 15-19 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 10-10-1 heading into today’s matchup vs. the Pirates. St. Louis is 5-5 across their last ten games and are looking to take the series lead today vs. the Pirates.
When the Cardinals win, they win by an average of 2.5 runs per game, but when they lose, they lose by an average of 3.5 runs per game. Their run line record is 33-33, and they are 17-14 against the run line at home. They have covered the run line in three straight games at home and in two straight as the underdog.
St. Louis has seen a lot of high-scoring games this season, with an average combined run total of 8.4 runs per game. Their over/under record is 28-35 on the year, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, they are 15-7. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8.5 runs, and the under has hit in their last three games.
Lance Lynn Gets The Start For The Cardinals
Cardinals starter Lance Lynn finished with a no-decision in each of his last two outings. Most recently, he faced the Rockies, giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. Lynn has made 13 starts this season and has a record of 2-3 with a 3.58 ERA. Looking at his home/road splits, Lynn has an ERA of 4.89 at home compared to 2.79 on the road. Opponents are batting .240 off Lynn this season, and he has issued 3.72 walks per nine innings compared to 8.68 strikeouts.
Cardinals Offense Breakdown
For the season, the Cardinals are averaging 3.9 runs per game, which is 24th in the MLB. Their batting average of .236 is 15th in the league, and they are also 15th in the league in terms of home runs. As a team, they are batting .236, and their on-base percentage of .307 is also below the league average.
Nolan Gorman comes into the game as the team’s leader in home runs, but he is batting just .219 for the season. However, he has gone deep five times in his last 10 games. Gorman has also driven in 33 runs this season. Alec Burleson is batting .277 for the season and has the 2nd most home runs for the Cardinals this season.
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction
With the money line payout being the same as the over/under payout, we like the Cardinals to pick up a win over the Pirates. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Cardinals.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Lance Lynn finishing with six strikeouts compared to Mitch Keller with six as well. However, Keller is projected to finish with more K’s, as we have him finishing with six compared to Keller with five.
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 13, 2024 Cardinals, Pirates