St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction 9-17-24 MLB Picks
Pittsburgh Pirates (71-79) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (75-75)
September 17, 2024 7:45 pm EDT
The Line: St. Louis Cardinals -116 / Pittsburgh Pirates -101; Over/Under: +7.5
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The Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals square off Tuesday in MLB action from Busch Stadium. 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 Pittsburgh Pirates will send out Bailey Falter in this one and Falter is 8-7 with a 4.20 ERA and 89 strikeouts this season. In his career, Falter is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 10 strikeouts against the Cardinals. The St. Louis Cardinals will send out Lance Lynn here and Lynn is 6-4 with a 3.96 ERA and 104 strikeouts this season. In his last five starts against the Pirates, Lynn is 1-2 with a 7.08 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
Pittsburgh Pirates Recap
The Pittsburgh Pirates come into this one fresh off of a 4-0 loss to the Cardinals in Monday’s series opener. The loss put the Pirates in a tough spot if they’re going to bounce back from a series loss to the Royals this past weekend.
Pirates Trying To Finish At .500
Entering Monday, Bryan Reynolds leads the Pirates with 163 hits with 29 doubles along with 22 home runs and 85 RBIs while Andrew McCutchen has 20 home runs and Michael A. Taylor has 12 stolen bases. Oneil Cruz has 22 stolen bases and 172 strikeouts while also posting 34 doubles, 19 home runs, and 74 RBIs and Connor Joe has a .228 batting average and 22 doubles as well this season. Ke’Bryan Hayes also has 11 stolen bases as well this season.
Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win
- The Cardinals have lost each of their last seven games as favorites against the Pirates following a win.
- The Pirates have won each of their last eight night games against NL Central opponents following a road loss.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the last eight games between the Pirates and Cardinals.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in 14 of their last 15 games as favorites against NL Central opponents following a home win.
St. Louis Cardinals Recap
The St. Louis Cardinals come into this one looking to build on their win over Pittsburgh from Monday’s matchup. The win was a welcome sight for the Cardinals who were trying to forget about this past weekend’s sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Cardinals Falling Out Of Playoff Race
Going into Monday’s games, Nolan Arenado has 143 hits along with 21 doubles and 66 RBIs while Brendan Donovan has 145 hits and 63 RBIs with 30 doubles. Nolan Gorman has 19 home runs along with 50 RBIs in addition to 15 doubles while Masyn Winn has a .271 batting average, 145 hits, and 11 stolen bases. Paul Goldschmidt also has 160 K’s while Gorman has 151 strikeouts as well this season. Alec Burleson also has a team-high 21 home runs and 73 RBIs as well this year.
Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win
- The home team has won each of the Cardinals’ last six games.
- The Pirates have lost eight of their last 10 road games against National League opponents.
- The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five games at Busch Stadium.
- The Cardinals have covered the run line in nine of their last 11 games against the Pirates.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction
I’m on the Pirates here. Pittsburgh didn’t do anything special offensively behind Paul Skenes and I’m not the biggest Bailey Falter fan, but I think the Cardinals are going to have some issues here against a lefty as they have for much of the season. Lance Lynn’s been solid for the Cardinals, especially at home, but he still has a tendency to get himself into trouble on the basepaths and I think the Pirates can bounce back and take advantage here. Give me Pittsburgh in this one.