Pirates vs. Cardinals Thursday Prediction
After just playing in Pittsburgh, National League Central rivals the Pirates and Cardinals will now shift to St. Louis for a four-game set at Busch Stadium. Will the opener of the series on Thursday not fall under the betting total?
Game Snapshot & Odds
953 Pittsburgh Pirates (+128) at 954 St. Louis Cardinals (-150); 8.5 runs
Thursday, May 31, 2018
7:15 p.m. ET, Busch Stadium
TV: PIT (ATTP); STL (FSMW)
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Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Cardinals as a -150 favorite. As of this writing, 53% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Cardinals to beat the Pirates on the moneyline. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our MLB Public Betting Page for updated figures on this game.
Pirates’ Williams allows four runs in loss to Cardinals
Trevor Williams let in four runs in four innings and was charged with a loss to the Cardinals on Saturday. He allowed seven base hits, including a solo home run by Matt Carpenter leading off the game. He notched three strikeouts and did not issue a walk in the abbreviated outing. Williams falls to 5-3 with a strong 3.43 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through 11 starts. He will have a chance to exact some revenge when he faces the Cardinals again on Thursday.
Cardinals’ Flathery allows just one run vs. Pirates in last start
Jack Flaherty yielded just one run over six innings to earn a win over the Pirates on Saturday. Starling Marte touched him up for a solo tater but that was the only blemish on his afternoon. He struck out four batters while allowing four hits and two walks in the quality start. He improves to 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in five starts. The rookie has an excellent 31:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 1/3 innings.
MLB Betting Trends
Pittsburgh
The Pirates have won six of their last eight games versus the Cardinals but have not fared well at Busch Stadium, posing a 17-35 record in their last 52 games played in St. Louis.
St. Louis
The Pirates have lost four of their last five games and are 5-11 in their last 16 road contests.
Prediction:
The Cardinals have a decent lineup on paper but outside of Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez, nobody is hitting the ball consistently right now. Dexter Fowler collected three hits in the series finale yesterday in Milwaukee but has otherwise has struggled all season and Tommy Pham is the club’s best hitter but he’s been in a week-long slump as well. I know the Cards fared well versus Williams last time out but I still see this game falling under tonight. In the last nine meetings between these two teams in St. Louis, the under is 7-2 and in the last 13 meetings overall, the under is 8-3-2.
The Pick: Pirates/Cardinals under 8.5