Pirates vs. Cardinals Sunday Prediction
The Pirates were routed by the Cardinals 17-4 on Thursday night in St. Louis but have since won back-to-back 2-1 games the past two days. After the under also cashed the last two days at Busch Stadium, is the over the better bet for Sunday’s matchup?
Game Snapshot & Odds
953 Pittsburgh Pirates (+138) at 954 St. Louis Cardinals (-150); 8.5 runs
Sunday, May 12, 2019
2:15 p.m. ET, Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
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Public Betting Trends
According to our MLB Public Betting Chart page, 78% of the betting tickets are on the Cardinals to beat the Pirates on the moneyline.
Pittsburgh Pirates Fantasy Spin
Gregory Polanco went 1-for-4 with an RBI triple and a run scored, leading the Pirates to a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. Polanco tied the game with his run-scoring triple off of Miles Mikolas in the fourth inning, then came in to score the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Josh Bell. He has been outstanding since returning from the injured list, slashing .304/.361/.536 with two homers and nine RBI in his first 14 games.
St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Spin
Paul DeJong went 1-for-4 with a double and plated the Cardinals’ lone run in Saturday’s loss to the Pirates. DeJong opened the scoring with a run-scoring double off of Jordan Lyles in the second inning, but that would be the only hit that the Cardinals would scratch out in six innings against Lyles. DeJong has been terrific in the middle of the Cardinals’ lineup this season, slashing a robust .327/.408/.575 with seven homers, 19 RBI and three stolen bases.
MLB Betting Trends
Pittsburgh
The Pirates are 8-3 in Steven Brault’s last 11 starts.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have now dropped eight of their last 10 games and are just 1-4 in their last five games played at Busch Stadium.
Prediction:
Following back-to-back games where these two clubs combined to score only three runs, I see Sunday’s matchup going over the total. The over is 7-2 in the Pirates’ last nine games overall and is 3-0-2 in Brault’s last five starts. The over is also 12-3-1 in the Cardinals’ last 16 home games versus a left-handed starter, is 10-3-1 in their last 14 games overall versus a lefty and is 3-1-1 in Hudson’s last five starts. Both offenses have been asleep since Thursday night, but this is the perfect pitching matchup to awaken the bats, assuming MLB gets the game in (there’s once again rain in the St. Louis area).
The Pick: Pirates/Cardinals OVER 8.5