MLB wagering interest swings to the St. Louis vs Pittsburgh battle on Friday at Busch Stadium as the Cardinals try to defend home turf and reward moneyline bettors.

The Cardinals will turn to Lance Lynn and his 3-0 record as they look for a win in this one, while the Pirates send Jonathan Sanchez (0-2) to the hill.



View Pittsburgh vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Pirates were listed as +-205 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. The total was set at 8 before betting started earlier on Monday over at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 2-ranked Cardinals and the National League No. 5-rated Pirates in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features St. Louis' National League No. 4-ranked scoring average of 4.9 runs per game, against a Pirates offense rated No. 10 and scoring 3.8 runs per game in the league. The Cardinals have averaged 8.3 hits per game to date this season, more than the Pirates hitters have managed (7.6 per nine innings).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and St. Louis has the National League's No. 3-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Pirates own the National League's No. 2 mark in runs allowed.

Pittsburgh won its last outing, a 6-4 result against the Phillies on April 25. Bettors who backed the Pirates at +168 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (10) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. Pittsburgh got the job done in their last match in a 6-4 victory over Philadelphia on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park behind starter James McDonald.

St. Louis won its last outing, a 4-2 result against the Nationals on April 24. Bettors who backed the Cardinals at +143 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (6) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. The Cardinals grabbed a win last time out, defeating Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals 4-2 on Wednesday at Nationals Park.


Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Friday are 3-7
Before playing St. Louis are 6-4
After playing Philadelphia are 8-2
After a win are 6-4

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Pittsburgh are 4-6
After playing Washington are 8-2
After a win are 5-5

A few Pirates at Cardinals trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 10 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis' last 5 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of St. Louis' last 10 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh


Next up:
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, Saturday, April 27