Cardinals vs. Pirates MLB Prediction
The Cardinals and Pirates will wrap up their series from PNC Park on Thursday afternoon at 12:35 p.m. ET when Wade LeBlanc opposes JT Brubaker in the pitching matchup. With the Cards listed as a road favorite and the total sitting at 9.5, what’s the best bet in this NL Central matchup?
Game Snapshot
953 St. Louis Cardinals (-124) at 954 Pittsburgh Pirates (+115); o/u 9.5
12:35 p.m. ET, Thursday, August 12, 2021
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
St. Louis Cardinals DFS SPIN
Wade LeBlanc gave up two runs over six innings on Thursday in a no-decision against the Braves. LeBlanc allowed three hits, including a game-tying solo homer to Joe Pederson in the fourth inning. He handed out three free passes and only generated one strikeout. The soft-tossing 36-year-old crafty left-hander holds a pedestrian 4.02 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 28/16 K/BB ratio across 47 innings (17 appearances, eight starts) this season. He’s lined up to face the Pirates on the road in his next start on Wednesday night and can be safely ignored by fantasy managers outside of NL-only formats.
Pittsburgh Pirates DFS Spin
JT Brubaker was lit up for nine runs — eight earned — in five innings by the Reds on Friday. Brubaker gave up seven runs in the first and then two more in the second, but the Pirates kept him in and he went on to retire nine of 10 batters in his final three innings of work. Brubaker has gotten roughed up in four of his last six outings, and his ERA has jumped from 3.82 at the end of June to 4.95 now. He’s probably not done yet, but given that he threw just 75 innings between 2019 and 2020, he might need to be shut down early this season.
Cardinals vs. Pirates Betting Prediction
The Cardinals are 39-16 in their last 55 games versus the Pirates and are 20-7 in their last 26 games at PNC Park. They’re also 11-4 in their last 15 games as a road favorite and are 62-29 in their last 91 games versus an opponent with a winning percentage below .400. On the other side, the Pirates are just 2-7 in their last nine home games, are 16-49 in their last 64 games versus a left-handed starter and are 1-6 in their last eight home games when facing a left-handed starter.
MLB BETTING PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS -124