Pirates can close out their NLDS

The Pittsburgh Pirates can close out their NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday afternoon as the two teams meet at PNC Park in the fourth game of the best-of-five set.

Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead in the series on Sunday with a 5-3 home victory, getting two RBI each from Marlon Byrd and Russell Martin. The Pirates and Cardinals had split the first two games of the playoff series in St. Louis last week.

Michael Wacha, with a record of 4-1 on the season, gets the ball for the Cardinals, while the Pirates trot Charlie Morton to the mound in this one. He is 7-4 so far in 2013.



View St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Odds and Stats.

The moneyline was hovering in the range of 111 for the Pirates in this one over at Sportsbook. The over under number was sitting near 7.5 at Sportsbook.

The Pirates - Cardinals odds would favor the Cardinals if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Pittsburgh is rated No. 11 in the current Odds Shark poll, while St. Louis is at No. 2.



In their last action, St. Louis was a 5-3 loser on the road against the Pirates. Bettors on Pittsburgh at -168 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (8) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. St. Louis suffered a 5-3 loss against Pittsburgh on Sunday, as Joe Kelly wasn't able to lead his team to victory at PNC Park.

How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 20 ranked offense (3.93 runs per game) against a Cardinals defense and pitching staff that sits at No. 5 at 3.69 runs allowed per game. The Pirates have been averaging 8.33 hits per game, less than the Cardinals have managed so far this season (9.18 hits on average).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Pittsburgh has the No. 2-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Cardinals own the No. 5 mark in runs allowed.

A few Cardinals at Pirates trends to consider:
St. Louis is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games


Next up:
St. Louis at Pittsburgh, Wednesday, October 9th

 

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