The Pittsburgh Pirates finally got the monkey off their back by beating the St. Louis Cardinals in their series opener Friday but bettors should have taken notice of something else. The UNDER hit in that game, which means the Pirates and Cardinals have failed to top the total in seven of their past eight contests. Will this trend continue when the Bucs and Cards clash Saturday?
Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is coming off his best back-to-back outings of the season, as the righty went seven complete innings in both starts while allowing just two earned runs on six hits. Though he looked good in his most recent start in Milwaukee, it was out of the norm with Cole posting a 5.01 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP in eight road starts this season.
While Cole is trending upward, Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn has been going in the opposite direction. Lynn has not finished the sixth inning in any of his past five starts while giving up seven home runs in that span. The right-hander looked terrible in his most recent start, giving up a season-high nine hits and seven runs in 4.2 innings.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The moneyline was hovering in the range of -123 for the St. Louis Cardinals in this one over at Sportsbook. The over under number was sitting near 9 at Sportsbook.
OddsShark computer score prediction models pick a possible 4.4-4.0 win for the Pirates on Saturday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
St. Louis (33-39) will face the 34-40 Pirates in this tilt. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and St. Louis vs Pittsburgh injuries news.
This game matches up the No. 18 (St. Louis Cardinals) and the No. 13 (Pittsburgh Pirates) teams, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.
Statistical Matchup
At the plate, St. Louis owns the No. 20 ranking for hits at 8.5 per game. By contrast, the Pittsburgh Pirates are rated No. 22 in the same category at 8.35 per game.
Pittsburgh brings the No. 18-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Cardinals's No. 11-ranked defense.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Pittsburgh rolled to a 4-3 win against St. Louis on Friday, as Jameson Taillon and the Pirates' bats led the team to victory at New Busch Stadium.
Next Betting Matchups
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, Sunday, June 25th