In this article, we will formulate a Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction for this MLB game on Wednesday, August 27th at the Busch Stadium in the third game of this series, with both teams being tied 1-1 wins. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup.
St. Louis Cardinals Preview
The St. Louis Cardinals have a 65-68 record this season and are sitting on the 4th place of the NL Central. The Cardinals have a 31-36 home record and are 68-57 in over/under They are coming off a 3-8 home defeat by the Pirates, and are 1-3 in their last 4 games. Over is 8-0-2 in their last 10 games and are playing the Athletics and the Reds next.
The Cardinals have a .248 batting average this season, .317 OBP and .384 Slugging percentage. St. Louis’ pitching staff has a 4.33 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Alec Burleson leads the Cardinals with 123 hits, and he is the team’s best hitter with a .291 batting average. Wilson Contreras leads the team in RBI, with 73, adding a team-high 19 home runs.
Sonny Gray (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Cardinals, and he has a 12-66 record, 4.33 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a 58-75 record this season and are sitting on the last place of the NL Central. They have a 19-45 road record, and are 55-73 in over/under. They are coming off an 8-3 road victory over the Cardinals, and are 5-1 in their last 6 games. They are playing the Red Sox and the Dodgers next.
The Pirates have a .235 batting average this season, .306 OBP and .353 slugging percentage. Pittsburgh’s pitching staff has a 3.95 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 122 hits, and a team-high 66 RBI. He is also the team’s best hitter with a .247 batting average, while Oneil Cruz leads the team in home runs, with 18.
Carmen Mlodzinski (R) is the projected starting pitcher for the Pirates, and he has a 3-7 record, 3.89 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The Pirates have lost each of their last six games against NL Central opponents following a road win.
- The Cardinals have won 10 of their last 11 home games against the Pirates following a loss.
- The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last four night games against NL Central opponents following a road win.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in 16 of their last 20 night games following a loss.
- The Cardinals have led after 5 innings in four of their last five games as home favorites against NL Central opponents.
Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win
- The Cardinals have lost each of their last seven Wednesday games as favorites.
- The Pirates have won three of their last four games as underdogs against National League opponents following a road win.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line each of their last seven home games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Pirates have covered the run line in each of their last six games.
- The Pirates have led after 5 innings in five of their last six road games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
- The Pirates have won the first inning in each of their last five road games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
- The Pirates have led after 3 innings in each of their last six road games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
Total Runs Facts
- Nine of the Cardinals’ last 10 games after playing the previous day have gone OVER the total runs line.
- Each of the Pirates’ last four night games as underdogs have gone OVER the total runs line.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in eight of the Cardinals’ last nine night games.
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Pirates’ last four games as underdogs.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cardinals rank 30th in the league for triples this season (5).
- The Cardinals rank 29th in the league for strikeouts this season (981).
- The Pirates rank 30th in the league for runs scored this season (481).
- The Pirates rank 30th in the league for home runs this season (97).
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction
The Pirates are 4-1 in their last 5 head-to-head meetings against the Cardinals, but the Cardinals are 4-1 in their last 5 home meetings against the Pirates. Over is 7-0 in their last 7 meetings.
In this Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction, the Cardinals are coming as -190 home favorites. The Cardinals are rightfully such big favorites, as they are putting Gray on the mound, who has 12 wins this season and has been stronger at home, with a 3.76 home ERA. His previous home start against the Pirates this season was a shutout. On the flip side, Mlodzinski has been struggling on the road, with a 5.10 ERA across 6 road starts, and the Pirates’ bats are dead last in the league in runs per game, so the edge goes to the home team. Take the St. Louis Cardinals in a bounce-back spot at home in this one.