Cardinals Look to Sweep Pirates: Odds, Picks, and More

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Date: Wednesday, September 18th, 7:45 ET
Location: Busch Stadium
TV: SN PT
Money Line: Pirates +168/Cardinals -202
Total Line: 8

Betting Preview

Here’s our betting preview for the upcoming MLB clash between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pirates on Wednesday, September 18th at Busch Stadium. We provide you with a comprehensive analysis, odds, and predictions to help with your handicapping decision or tail our expert based on the projected lineups and listed starting pitchers.

Betting Odds

There is a 5-game losing streak on the line for the Pirates as they face the Cardinals and look to avoid the sweep. However, Pittsburgh is a significant underdog on the money line (+168), and the over/under line is currently at 8 runs. Sonny Gray will be starting for the Cardinals, and the Pirates are sending Jake Woodford to the mound.

St. Louis is currently favored at -202, and they have won two straight, which has them 3rd in the NL Central. The Cardinals are 76-75, while the Pirates are 71-80. This NL Central matchup can be seen on SN PT, and the forecast for Wednesday’s game in St. Louis is 90 degrees with scattered clouds.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Projected Lineup

Straight Up/Over-Under/ Runline Record

Pittsburgh Pirates: 71-80 SU / OU 73-76 / Runline 81-70
St. Louis Cardinals: 76-75 SU / OU 70-77 / Runline 76-75

St. Louis picked up a 3-1 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a huge 1st inning, scoring all three of their runs, and the Pirates could only muster one run in the 2nd inning. After that, both offenses went silent, and the Cardinals closed out the game with a 3-1 win.

Lance Lynn started for the Cardinals and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued two walks. As for the Pirates, Bailey Falter got the start and took the loss, giving up two earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Jordan Walker was the difference for the Cardinals, as he homered, scored three times, and finished with two RBIs. Bryan De La Cruz also had a two-hit game for St. Louis. Nick Yorke was the only Pirates hitter to have more than one hit.

Pirates Records & Recent Play

Pittsburgh is 71-80 overall this season, and they are 5th in the NL Central, 16 games behind the Brewers. The Pirates have gone 22-22 against other teams in the NL Central. They will try to pick up a win today, as they have dropped two straight games overall.

At home, the Pirates are 38-40 this season and 33-40 on the road. As the underdog, Pittsburgh is 37-52 this season, and they have lost three straight as the underdog overall. The Pirates’ overall series record is 20-21-6, and they are currently down 0-2 in this series vs. the Cardinals.

When the Pirates are the underdog, they have been a good bet on the run line, going 57-32. The Pirates’ run line record on the road is 43-30, but they have failed to cover the run line in their last three road games. Overall, they are 81-70 on the run line this season.

The Pirates are on the road today against the Cardinals, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pittsburgh’s games this season is 8.7, and their over/under record is 73-76. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, the Pirates have gone 16-18 on the year. Overall, 49.7% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs or higher, and their current under streak is at four games.

Cardinals Records & Recent Play

With their record at 76-75, the Cardinals are 3rd in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 11 games. St. Louis has gone 25-25 in divisional games this year. The Cardinals have won two straight games and are 5-5 across their last 10.

At home, the Cardinals are 41-35 this season and 35-40 on the road. As the favorite, St. Louis has gone 36-35 and 40-40 as the underdog. The Cardinals have won four straight games at home, and their overall series record is 23-20-5.

When the Cardinals win, they tend to do so by a comfortable margin, as their average run differential in victories is +2.7. However, when they lose, they tend to lose big, with an average run differential of -3.6. Their run line record is 76-75, and they have covered the run line in three straight games at home, where they are 38-38 ATS. As an underdog, they are 52-28 ATS, compared to 24-47 ATS as the favorite.

St. Louis is 11-17-1 when the over/under line is set at 8 runs this season. The Cardinals have played 82 games with lines set above 8 runs, which accounts for 54.3% of their games. They have played 40 games with lines set below 8 runs, which accounts for 26.5% of their games. The under has hit in each of their last three games.

Pitching Matchup

Jake Woodford gets the start for the Pirates today as he faces his former team, the Cardinals. Woodford has made six starts and is 0-6 with an 8.01 ERA. In his last outing, he gave up three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. Woodford has taken the loss in each of his last three outings. Opponents are batting .299 off the right-hander this season. Woodford has only made one quality start this year and is averaging 6.23 strikeouts per nine innings. His ERA at home is 11.74 compared to 0.75 on the road.

Sonny Gray gets the start for the Cardinals today and is coming off a strong outing vs. the Reds. In that September 12th start, he went six innings, giving up just one earned run. Looking back over his last three outings, Gray has given up just one earned run in each of those starts. Gray’s record for the season is 13-9, and his ERA is 3.75. Out of his 27 starts, Gray has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 10.92 strikeouts per nine innings. For the season, he has allowed 21 homers. Gray’s ERA at home is 2.74 compared to 5.58 on the road.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Offense Outlook

So far this season, the Pirates are averaging just 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been a little better at home, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .235, which is 16th in the league and are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and in terms of their on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .280 with 22 homers and 85 RBIs. Reynolds has gone 11/38 in his last 10 games, but he has yet to go deep in that stretch. Andrew McCutchen and Bryan De La Cruz have also been solid power threats, with each having 20 homers this season.

Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.2 runs per game. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .245, which is 10th in the league, and have the 18th-best slugging percentage in the league. St. Louis has been led in home runs by both Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt, who each have 21 homers this season.

Brendan Donovan has been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting .333 over his last eight games with one home run. For the season, he is batting .270 with 12 homers. Jordan Walker comes into the game on a four-game hitting streak but is just 6/27 in his last 10 games.

Free Pirates vs. Cardinals MLB Pick

The Pirates have given Jake Woodford a few chances to start of late, and after a good outing on August 12th, he has gone just 4 innings and 3 1/3 innings, while giving up 5 and 7 runs, respectively. On the other side, Sonny Gray has given up just one earned run in three straight outings. The way to play this one is to take the Cardinals to not only win but cover the run line.