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Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction 4/9/25 MLB Picks Today

St. Louis Cardinals (5-6) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (4-8)
April 9, 2025 12:35 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Pirates -102 / St. Louis Cardinals -118; Over/Under: 8.5
(Get latest betting odds)

In this article, we will formulate a Pirates vs Cardinals prediction for this MLB game on Wednesday, April 9th at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this MLB matchup. 

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 4-8 this season after they lost game two in this series by a score of 5-3 on Tuesday. Pittsburgh cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth inning but allowed two more runs in the sixth to put the game away. The Pirates recorded six hits and committed one error in the game, while they were led by Reynolds, who went 2-4 with one home run, one RBI, and two runs scored. Pittsburgh started Skenes, who allowed six hits and five earned runs over 6.0 innings, while Shugart and Mayza threw three scoreless innings in relief. 

Prior to this series, the Pirates lost two out of three games against the Yankees and two out of three against the Rays. The Pittsburgh pitching staff has a 4.90 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP and a .260 opponent batting average, while the offense has scored 43 runs with a .205 batting average and a .288 on-base percentage this season. Oneil Cruz has led Pittsburgh with two home runs, five RBIs, and seven stolen bases, while Bryan Reynolds has added two home runs and six RBIs this year. The projected starting pitcher for Pittsburgh is Mitch Keller, who is 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP over 9.2 innings pitched this season. 

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals are 5-6 this year after they won game two by a score of 5-3. St. Louis was able to get to Skenes for five runs, but it did get tight in the ninth, as they allowed two runs before closing the game. The Cardinals recorded seven hits in the game, and they were led by Scott, who went 2-5 with two RBIs in the win. St. Louis started Gray, who allowed three hits and one earned run over 5.0 innings for the win, while Maton allowed one hit in 0.2 innings for the save. 

Prior to this series, the Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox in three games and lost two out of three against the Angels. The St. Louis pitching staff has a 5.89 ERA with a 1.33 WHIP and a .255 opponent batting average, while their offense has scored 71 runs with a .291 batting average and a .366 on-base percentage this season. Brendan Donovan has led St. Louis with two home runs and 10 RBIs, while Lars Nootbaar has added two home runs and six RBIs this year. The projected starting pitcher for St. Louis is Erick Fedde, who is 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP over 9.0 innings pitched this year. 

Why the Pirates will beat the Cardinals

  • The Cardinals have lost each of their last five games as road favorites against NL Central opponents.
  • The underdogs have won each of the Cardinals’ last four games at PNC Park.
  • The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 10 games as road favorites against NL Central opponents following a road win.
  • The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the Cardinals’ last eight games at PNC Park.
  • The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in seven of their last eight road games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
  • The Pirates have won the first inning in six of their last seven home games against National League opponents that held a losing record.
  • The Cardinals have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five games as road favorites against NL Central opponents.

Why the Cardinals will beat the Pirates

  • The Cardinals have won each of their last seven Wednesday games.
  • The Pirates have lost each of their last four day games against National League opponents.
  • The Cardinals have covered the run line in eight of their last 10 road games against National League opponents.
  • The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in six of their last eight home games against NL Central opponents.
  • The Pirates have trailed after 5 innings in nine of their last 10 Wednesday day games as home underdogs.
  • The Pirates have trailed after 3 innings in four of their last five home games against National League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

  • Twelve of the Pirates’ last 13 day games against NL Central opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
  • Each of the Cardinals’ last six games after playing the previous day have gone OVER the total runs line.
  • The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 17 of the last 18 games between the Cardinals and Pirates.
  • The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in 13 of the Cardinals’ last 14 games as favorites against NL Central opponents.

Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts

  • Bryan Reynolds has hit a home run in each of his last two home appearances against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
  • Tommy Pham has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last six Wednesday day appearances against teams that held a losing record.
  • Bryan Reynolds has scored at least one run in each of his last eight Wednesday day appearances at PNC Park.
  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa has recorded at least one Single in eight of his nine previous appearances with his team as a home underdog against NL Central opponents.
  • Mitch Keller has recorded five or more strikeouts in 10 of his last 11 home appearances against NL opponents that held a losing record.
  • Bryan Reynolds has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 12 appearances with the Pirates as underdogs against the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts

  • Alec Burleson has hit a home run in three of the Cardinals’ last five day games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
  • Masyn Winn has recorded a Double in four of the Cardinals’ last five games as road favorites against NL opponents.
  • Brendan Donovan has recorded at least one RBI in each of the Cardinals’ last five road games against opponents that held a losing record.
  • Masyn Winn has scored at least one run in each of his last 10 road appearances.
  • Brendan Donovan has recorded at least one Single in each of the Cardinals’ last nine road games.
  • Erick Fedde has recorded four or more strikeouts in each of his five previous appearances with his team as a road favorite against NL opponents.
  • Brendan Donovan has recorded at least one hit in each of the Cardinals’ last 12 games against NL Central opponents.

Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction 

St. Louis was able to snap their losing streak with a nice win over Skenes and the Pirates on Tuesday, but their pitching staff has allowed at least eight runs in three of their last five games. The Cardinals have the worst team ERA in the MLB right now, but they have been bailed out by some solid offense, as they are top five in runs scored. Pittsburgh has won two of their last three games, but their pitching staff has allowed at least five runs in three of their last five. I think we are going to see another higher-scoring game, especially with Keller struggling, so I like the over here. 

David Racey's Free Pick: Over 8.5

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David Racey

David started writing about sports in 2015, but sports has been his passion for as long as he can remember. David spends most of his free time watching pretty much anything sports related from Baseball to Tennis and everything in between. David likes to analyze statistics and recent results to form an unbiased opinion on whatever game he is breaking down. Follow David on Twitter at @itsyerboi41

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