The visiting Pirates hope for a solid performance on Friday as they look to steal a win at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's a pitching duel between Jake Westbrook for the Cardinals (12-8 on the year) and James McDonald for Pittsburgh (10-5 so far).



View Pittsburgh vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Pittsburgh before the first pitch in this match will find them as +-160-moneyline underdogs. They will see an Sportsbook total of 8.5.

Power Rankings:
The Cardinals - Pirates odds would favor the Cardinals if the lines were set according to our power ranks. St. Louis is rated No. 6 in the current National League Odds Shark poll, while Pittsburgh is at No. 12 in the National League.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features St. Louis' National League No. 1-ranked scoring average of 4.9 runs per game, against a Pirates offense rated No. 10 and scoring 4.2 runs per game in the league. The Cardinals have averaged 9.5 hits per game to date this season, more than the Pirates hitters have managed (8.2 per nine innings).

Comparing defensive stats, Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 12-rated road mark, allowing 4.8 runs per game on the highway. St. Louis, on the other hand, rates No. 4 in scoring at home.

In their last action, Pittsburgh was a 10-6 Sportsbook at home against the Dodgers. Bettors on Pittsburgh at -132 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (16) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. Pittsburgh got the job done in their last match in a 10-6 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday at PNC Park behind starter A.J. Burnett.

The Cardinals were a 2-1 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Diamondbacks. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Arizona at +129 on the moneyline, while the total score (3) was good news for UNDER bettors. The Cardinals were saddled with a loss last time out in Kyle Lohse's start, as they lost 2-1 against Arizona on Thursday at Busch Stadium.


Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing St. Louis are 6-4
After playing LA Dodgers are 1-9
After a win are 5-5

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing Arizona are 6-4
After a loss are 7-3

A few Pirates at Cardinals trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of St. Louis' last 7 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis' last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
St. Louis is 15-4 SU in its last 19 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis' last 7 games


Next up:
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, Saturday, August 18