Sunday Night Baseball pits two division rivals head-to-head when the Pirates and Cardinals culminate yet another series at PNC Park on national television this evening. The Bucs picked up their first victory of the four-game set in a 6-4 win on Saturday and they opened tonight’s contest slightly favored to earn the split with Ivan Nova (10-10, 3.78 ERA) taking the hill.
- The Pirates are 1-4 SU and on the runline in their last 5 games that were started by Ivan Nova.
- Mike Leake has allowed 18 runs in his last 20.1 innings pitched.
- The total has gone OVER in 13 of the Cardinals’ last 14 games overall.
Sitting just 2.5 games out of the lead in the NL Central, the Cardinals are still very much in the hunt for the playoffs – thanks in part to the infamous rally cat – and wins against division rivals are becoming more important every day.
Taking eight of the last 12 matchups against the Pirates at PNC Park, the Cardinals have been getting it done in Steeltown. The betting line is close to EVEN tonight but before their win yesterday, the Bucs had lost six straight games and look like a club that’s near its breaking point.
Mike Leake, although awful of late, has pitched admirably against the Pirates over the last few seasons, going 5-2 vs the Pittsburgh club across 16 starts for three different teams.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Those going with the Pittsburgh Pirates in this one found them listed on the odds board as moneyline favorites of -110 at Sportsbook for Sunday's contest. The betting total was hovering near 9 at Sportsbook.
OddsShark computer prediction formulas pick a 6.6-5.0 win for the Pirates on Sunday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Pittsburgh Pirates sport a record of 59-64 heading into this matchup, while the St. Louis Cardinals sit at 63-60 on the season. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Pittsburgh vs St. Louis injuries news.
The Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals odds would favor the Cardinals if the betting lines were set according to our power ranks. Pittsburgh is rated No. 24 in the current OddsShark poll, while St. Louis is at No. 5.
Statistical Matchup
At the plate, Pittsburgh owns the No. 23 ranking for hits at 8.41 per game. By contrast, the St. Louis Cardinals are rated No. 11 in the same category at 8.84 per game.
Comparing defensive stats, St. Louis owns the No. 16-rated road mark, allowing 4.77 runs per game on the highway. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, rates No. 29 in scoring at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Cardinals were saddled with a loss last time out in Michael Wacha's start, as they lost 6-4 against Pittsburgh on Saturday at PNC Park.
- St. Louis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
- St. Louis is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
- St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of St. Louis's last 13 games
- Pittsburgh is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games
- Pittsburgh is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
- Pittsburgh is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
St. Louis home to San Diego, Tuesday, August 22
Pittsburgh home to Los Angeles, Monday, August 21
