Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction 4/29/26 MLB Picks Today

The St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates meet Wednesday in MLB action from PNC Park. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates prediction.

Starting Pitching Matchup

The St. Louis Cardinals will send out Andre Pallante for the start here and Pallante is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA and 20 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against the Pirates, Pallante is 1-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 23 strikeouts. Bubba Chandler will start for Pittsburgh in this one and is 1-2 with a 4.88 ERA and 21 strikeouts this season. This will be Chandler’s first career start against the Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals Recap

The St. Louis Cardinals come into this game looking to add on to their 11-7 win over Pittsburgh from Tuesday to improve to 16-13 this season. After this series, the Cardinals will head home for a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Cardinals Win Back-To-Back Games

Entering Tuesday, Jordan Walker leads the Cardinals with 28 hits, 4 doubles, 8 home runs and 16 RBIs while Alec Burleson has 27 hits with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs. JJ Wetherholt has 25 hits with 6 home runs and 14 RBIs while Ivan Herrera has 23 hits with 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 13 RBIs. Nolan Gorman has 20 hits with 3 home runs and 15 RBIs this season. Masyn Winn’s added 22 hits with 5 doubles and 12 RBIs and Nathan Church has 18 hits with 5 home runs and 13 RBIs this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Recap

The Pittsburgh Pirates come into this game looking to bounce back from their loss at the hands of the Cardinals in Tuesday’s matchup to 16-14 on the year. After this series, the Pirates will take on the Cincinnati Reds at home.

Pirates Drop 3 In A Row

Going into Tuesday, Oneil Cruz has 29 hits including 5 doubles, 8 home runs and 24 RBIs while Ryan O’Hearn has 30 hits with 4 doubles, 4 home runs and 17 RBIs this season. Nick Gonzales has 30 hits with 5 doubles and 13 RBIs while Brandon Lowe has 23 hits with 5 doubles, 7 home runs and 19 RBIs and Bryan Reynolds has 24 hits with 2 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs as well this season.

St. Louis Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends: April 29, 2026

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Bubba Chandler      Record this season: 1-2      ERA: 4.88
• Home Record: 1-1
• Last 5 against Cardinals: 1-0

Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win

• The Pirates have won each of their last eight Wednesday night games against National League opponents.
• The Cardinals have lost seven of their last eight games against the Pirates following a road win.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in each of their last eight Wednesday night games against National League opponents.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six Wednesday night games against National League opponents.
• The Pirates have won the first inning in three of their last four home games.
• The Pirates have led after 5 innings in each of their last seven Wednesday night games as favorites.
• The Pirates have led after 3 innings in four of their last five home games.

• Probable Starting Pitcher: Andre Pallante      Record this season: 2-2      ERA: 4.26
• Road Record: 1-0
• Last 5 against Pirates: 1-1

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Pirates have lost each of their last 10 home games against NL Central opponents.
• The underdogs have won each of the Pirates’ last four games at PNC Park.
• The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last nine home games against NL Central opponents.
• The underdogs have covered the run line in 13 of the Cardinals’ last 14 games at PNC Park.
• The Cardinals have led after 5 innings in four of their last five night games against NL Central opponents.
• The Cardinals have led after 3 innings in three of their last four games.

Total Runs Facts

• Five of the last six games between the Cardinals and Pirates at PNC Park have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Five of the Cardinals’ last six games against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in seven of Bubba Chandler’s last eight appearances as a starter.
• The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in four of Andre Pallante’s last five road appearances as a starter.

Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts

• Jared Triolo has recorded two or more hits in each of his last two home appearances.
• Jared Triolo has hit a home run in three of his last four appearances with the Pirates as home favorites.
• Oneil Cruz ranks T4th in the league in Steals (10) this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts

• Nolan Gorman has hit a home run in three of his last six appearances at PNC Park against opponents that held a winning record.
• Masyn Winn has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 10 Wednesday appearances with the Cardinals as underdogs.
• Ivan Herrera ranks 10th amongst qualified players for On Base Percentage (.414) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Pirates rank T1st in the league for home runs allowed this season (23).
• The Pirates rank 29th in the league for strikeouts against this season (289).
• The Cardinals rank 30th in the league for strikeouts this season (200).
• The Cardinals rank 28th in the league for opponent batting average this season (.264).

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction

I’m on the Cardinals here. St. Louis has been the better team in the first couple of games in this series and I genuinely expect no different here as Bubba Chandler has some control issues that need to be fixed. Pallante has been decent in his starts more often than not this season and I feel like the Pirates are just the better team to this point. Give me St. Louis.