Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Game 1 – 9/18/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction
2020-09-18 16:05:00 EDT
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet Friday in MLB action from PNC Park.
This will be the first game in a Friday doubleheader between these rival teams, and the second installment of a lengthy five-game series over the weekend. In the first game on Thursday, Pittsburgh scored four ties in the fourth inning and rode the wave to a 5-1 victory. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place.
The Cardinals were out-hit 9-2 by the Pirates in the Thursday loss, and there wasn’t much offense to go around. Edman and Wong were the only St. Louis players to notch hits. Starting pitcher Dakota Hudson went 2.0 innings with one hit and two walks.
For the Friday game one starting role, St. Louis is going with Carlos Martinez. In his three starts this season, Martinez is 0-2 with a 10.32 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.1 innings. On his MLB career Martinez is 58-42 with a 3.45 ERA and 866 Ks in 876.0 innings total.
Over on the Pirates’ side, starting pitcher Steven Brault went the distance on Thursday, posting 9.0 innings, two hits, one earned run, two walks and eight strikeouts in his first win of the season. Gregory Polanco had two hits and a three-run homer to lead the offense.
In the game one starting pitcher role, the Pirates will roll out Trevor Williams. In nine starts this season Williams is 1-7 with a 6.35 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 45.1 innings of work. Over his MLB career, Williams is 30-36 with a 4.41 ERA and 409 Ks in 524.2 innings.
The Cardinals are 5-1 in their last six during game two of a series and 2-5 in their last seven games overall. St. Louis is 2-5 in their last seven road games and 2-5 in their last seven versus the National League Central.
Meanwhile, the Pirates are 15-36 in their last 51 overall and 2-7 in their last nine Friday games. Pittsburgh is 5-18 in their last 23 during game two of a series and 1-5 in their last six games following a win.
Pick: I’m going to stick with the Cardinals here. The recent play of both starting pitchers leaves much to be desired, however. Martinez has posted seven earned in 7.2 innings in his last two starts since coming back to the team on September 8. As for Williams, he’s given up 24 runs (22 earned) over his last four starts. This one could get pretty wild, but I think St. Louis can get enough offense going to power one out.
