Coming off of a 1-1 series split with the Royals, the St. Louis Cardinals (25-32) are -145 favorites to pick up the win in Game 1 of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (28-27). The series begins at PNC Park, starting on Friday at 7:05 PM ET on SportsNet PT.
Jack Flaherty will get the ball for St. Louis while Pittsburgh will counter with Roansy Contreras.
Cardinals vs. Pirates Odds
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Game Time and Information
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Who Will Win Cardinals vs. Pirates?
Cardinals and Pirates Betting Trends
The Cardinals have won 48.5% of the games this season when they were the moneyline favorite (16-17).
In games it has played as moneyline favorites with odds of -145 or shorter, St. Louis has a record of 8-12 (40%).
This season, the Pirates have won 19 out of the 42 games, or 45.2%, in which they’ve been the underdog.
Pittsburgh has entered 24 games this season as the underdog by +124 or more and is 11-13 in those contests.
The Cardinals have played in 57 games with set over/under, and have combined with opponents to go over the total 28 times (28-27-2).
The Pirates and their opponents have hit the over in 26 of their 55 games with a total this season.
Cardinals Stats & Insights
The Cardinals are the ninth-highest scoring team in baseball, averaging 4.8 runs per game (273 total).
St. Louis ranks sixth-best in baseball with 76 total home runs.
The Cardinals have the 14th-ranked batting average in the majors (.252).
St. Louis strikes out 8.2 times per game, the ninth-best mark in baseball.
The 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings put together by the Cardinals pitching staff ranks 16th in the majors.
St. Louis’ 4.26 team ERA ranks 16th among all MLB pitching staffs.
Pirates Stats & Insights
The Pirates have scored 241 runs (4.4 per game) this season, which ranks 21st in MLB.
Pittsburgh’s 53 home runs rank 25th in Major League Baseball.
The Pirates rank 17th in MLB with a .245 team batting average.
Pittsburgh has shown good bat-to-ball skills at the plate this season with the 10th-best strikeout rate (8.5 per game) among MLB offenses.
The Pirates have an 8.9 K/9 this season as a pitching staff, which ranks 13th in the majors.
Pittsburgh has the 11th-ranked ERA (4.01) in the majors this season.
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Cardinals Key Players to Watch
Flaherty (3-4 with a 4.81 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Cardinals, his 12th of the season.
Paul Goldschmidt leads St. Louis with a batting average of .289. He’s also hit 10 home runs with 26 RBI.
Nolan Gorman is batting .272 this season with a team-high 13 home runs and 41 RBI.
Nolan Arenado has 56 hits this season and a slash line of .263/.310/.432.
Tommy Edman has 45 hits and an OBP of .318 to go with a slugging percentage of .443 this season.
Pirates Key Players to Watch
The Pirates will hand the ball to Contreras (3-4) for his 10th start of the season.
Bryan Reynolds has put up a team-best batting average of .282 while pacing the Pirates in runs batted in (36).
Andrew McCutchen is batting .273 with seven doubles, eight home runs and 27 walks.
Carlos Santana has 14 doubles, three home runs and 26 walks while batting .226.
Ke’Bryan Hayes is hitting .221 with 12 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 15 walks.
Cardinals and Pirates Injuries
Cardinals: Tyler O’Neill: 10 Day IL (Back), Dylan Carlson: 10 Day IL (Ankle), Jake Woodford: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Packy Naughton: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Wilking Rodriguez: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Lars Nootbaar: day-to-day (Back)
Pirates: Vince Velásquez: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Wil Crowe: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Oneil Cruz: 60 Day IL (Ankle), Ji-Man Choi: 60 Day IL (Achilles), Jarlin García: 60 Day IL (Arm), Max Kranick: 60 Day IL (Elbow), JT Brubaker: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Carlos Santana: day-to-day (Lumbar spine)
Cardinals vs. Pirates Prediction
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