A key battle on the MLB odds menu sees visiting St. Louis duelling Pittsburgh on Thursday at PNC Park.

Pittsburgh hands the ball to starter Charlie Morton in this one and he'll try to improve on his 3-2 mark on the year. St. Louis counters with Joe Kelly, who will try to quiet the fans and the Pirates bats at the same time.



View St Louis vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers, including Sportsbook, opened the Pirates as -102 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 7.5 at shops such as Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Pirates rated this week at No. 5 and the Cardinals sitting at No. 1.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Pittsburgh's No. 11-rated National League offense, averaging 3.9 runs per game, against a Cardinals defense that ranks No. 4 in the National League at 3.6 in runs allowed per game. The Pirates have averaged 8.3 hits per game so far, less than Cardinals batters have averaged on the year (9.3 hits per game).

Defensively, St. Louis features the National League's No. 4-rated defense on the road, allowing 3.9 runs per game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in at No. 10 in the National League at home, scoring 3.8 runs per game.

St. Louis lost its last outing, a 5-4 result against the Pirates on July 31. Bettors who backed the Pirates at +104 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (9) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. The Cardinals endured a 5-4 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Wednesday, with Adam Wainwright throwing 7 innings of 8-hit ball at PNC Park.




St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 1-9
After a loss are 4-6

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Colorado are 3-7
After playing St. Louis are 7-3
After a win are 7-3

A few Cardinals at Pirates trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis' last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis' last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis' last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of St. Louis' last 13 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games


Next up:
St. Louis at Cincinnati, Friday, August 2
Pittsburgh home to Colorado, Friday, August 2