Cardinals vs. Pirates Saturday Prediction
After combining for 13 runs in Game 1 of their series on Friday night, will the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates break out the bats again Saturday night when they meet for Game 2 at 7:05 p.m. ET?
Game Snapshot & Odds
953 St. Louis Cardinals (+102) at 954 Pittsburgh Pirates (-112); 8.5 runs
Saturday, August 4, 2018
8:10 p.m. ET, PNC Park
TV: STL (FSMW); PIT (ATTP)
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Public Betting Trends
Oddsmakers from online sportsbooks currently list the Pirates as a -112 favorite. As of this writing, 66% 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’ Gomber to make start Saturday vs. Pirates
Cardinals interim manager Mike Shildt confirmed Thursday that Austin Gomber will take Carlos Martinez’s place in the starting rotation. Martinez landed back on the disabled list Tuesday with a right shoulder strain and will likely be out for at least a couple of weeks, possibly the remainder of August. Gomber carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his first major league start last week against the Reds and holds a 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts over his first 22 1/3 big league frames.
Pirates’ Nova works into sixth inning against Mets
Ivan Nova yielded four runs (three earned) over five-plus innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Friday. Nova was pulled after loading the bases (on a pair of walks and an error) to begin the sixth. The Mets scored the tying run after Edgar Santana took over. While Nova ran out of gas at the end and didn’t get the win, he settled down quite nicely after giving up a three-run homer to Michael Conforto in the first inning. He finished the night with three walks, his most in any start since June 16. Nova will bring a 4.33 ERA into a start against the Cardinals next week.
MLB Betting Trends
St. Louis
The Cardinals have lost four of their last five on the road.
Pittsburgh
The Pirates are 17-5 in their last 22 games overall.
Prediction:
With Ted Barrett behind the plate, I feel good about the over also cashing for tonight’s game. In Barrett’s last 11 games behind the dish, the over is 9-2. The over is also 4-1 in the Cardinals’ last five games overall and is 7-2 in their last nine road games. On the other side, the over is 5-2-1 in the Pirates’ last eight home games and is 4-0 in their last four divisional matchups.
The Pick: Cardinals/Pirates over 8.5