Both the Pirates and Cardinals are looking to move above .500 for the season, as they are 31-34 and 31-33, respectively. This NL Central matchup has the Cardinals as the slight money line favorite, with their odds sitting at +112. The money line odds for the Pirates are at -132, and the over/under line is at 7.5 runs.
First pitch from Busch Stadium is set for 7:45 PM ET, and SN PT will be televising this one. Tuesday’s pitching matchup is Paul Skenes for the Pirates and Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals. Mikolas is 2-1 with a 4.85 ERA, while Skenes has yet to make a start.
Dominant Skenes Leads Pirates Against Cardinals in Crucial Road Matchup,
Paul Skenes and the Pirates are on the road to take on the Cardinals. Skenes has been dominant in his first two starts, as he has picked up wins in both outings. In his most recent start, he went 5 innings, allowing 3 earned runs and striking out 8. He is coming off a start in which he struck out 11 batters but did not allow a hit.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have an over/under record of 34-30 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.6 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 5-7, and the average line for their games this season has been set at 8 runs. Overall, 70.8% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, with 46 of their games having lines set higher than that mark.
Cardinals Look to Gain Ground in NL Central as They Host Pirates,
St. Louis will host the Pirates with an overall record of 31-33, and they are seven games behind the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cardinals are also tied with the Cubs for 2nd place in the division. So far, they are 5-7 in divisional games this year. St. Louis has a 16-15 record as the favorite and 15-18 as the underdog. Their overall series record is 10-10-1. The Cardinals have gone 4-6 across their last 10 games and are 15-14 at home and 16-19 on the road. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 7.5 runs, and the Cardinals have gone 28-33 on the season and 4-10 when the line is set at 7.5 runs.
Miles Mikolas will be on the mound for the Cardinals, and he has a 4-6 record and 5.32 ERA. In his last two starts, he has a win and a no-decision. This season, he has seven quality starts and is averaging 6.72 strikeouts per nine innings. The Cardinals offense has been below average this season, scoring 4 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. Nolan Arenado is hitting .252 with 6 home runs and 30 RBI, and Alec Burleson has hit 9 homers this year. Burleson has 4 homers in his last 8 games, and Masyn Winn is hitting .333 across his last 7 games. Overall, the Cardinals rank 17th in total homers.
Cardinals Favored to Edge Out Pirates in Close Home Game,
Based on the money line, we like the Cardinals to pick up a win today at home against the Pirates. The Cardinals are currently at +112, and we have them winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Miles Mikolas is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is good for third worst among today’s starters. As for Paul Skenes, his projected six strikeouts have him at 11th among starters.
Offensively, we don’t have the Cardinals finishing with a lot of runs, as their projected total is five, which has them at third worst in the league. As for the Pirates, their projected total is four, and they are also near the bottom in terms of home runs.
