St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 8/3/2018 Prediction & Odds

Cardinals vs. Pirates Friday Prediction

National League Central rivals clash in a pivotal series this weekend at PNC Park where the Pirates will host the Cardinals. Is the under a good play in Game 1 of the series?

Game Snapshot & Odds

903 St. Louis Cardinals (+135) at 904 Pittsburgh Pirates (-155); 8 runs

Friday, August 3, 2018

7:05 p.m. ET, PNC Park

TV: STL (FSMW); PIT (ATTP)

Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new Baseball Odds & Betting Page.

Public Betting Trends

Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Pirates as a -155 favorite. As of this writing, 68% of the betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Pirates to beat the Cardinals 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.

Cardinals' Gant can't survive five innings vs. Cubs

John Gant couldn't make it out of the fifth inning in Sunday's loss to the Cubs, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits across his 4 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander walked two and struck out four on the night. Most of the damage against him came via the long ball, with Ben Zobrist blasting a solo homer in the first and Anthony Rizzo clubbing a solo shot in the third. The 25-year-old has pitched well this season, sporting a 3.49 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 50/29 K/BB ratio across his 59 1/3 innings. He'll try to get back in the win column when he takes on the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Friday.

Pirates' Archer to make Pirates debut Friday vs. Cardinals

Chris Archer will make his Pirates debut on Friday night at PNC Park against the visiting Cardinals. Archer was acquired from Tampa Bay just before the trade deadline Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Austin Meadows, right-hander Tyler Glasnow, and a player to be named later. The 29-year-old starter put up a 2.70 ERA and 50/16 K/BB ratio over his final 43 1/3 innings with the Rays and should flourish down the stretch in Pittsburgh. He's under the Bucs' control through 2021.

MLB Betting Trends

St. Louis

The Cardinals are 5-1 in their last six games versus the Pirates.

Pittsburgh

The Pirates are 6-2 in their last eight games against the Cardinals at PNC Park.

Prediction:

The under has been a great play in this series, cashing in 11 of the last 17 meetings with two pushes. The under is also 7-2 in the Pirates' last nine home games versus a right-handed starter and is 4-1 in their last five games versus a right-handed starter overall. The under is also 5-1 in the Cardinals' last six divisional games and 3-1-1 in Gant's last five starts versus the rest of the National League Central opponents.

 

The Pick: Cardinals/Pirates under 8