Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction & MLB Odds For Wednesday, September 18th

The forecast from St. Louis on Wednesday calls for scattered clouds and temperatures in the low 90s. First pitch for this NL Central matchup is set for 7:45 PM ET from Busch Stadium. Jake Woodford will start for the Pirates, and he will be facing off against Sonny Gray for the Cardinals. St. Louis is the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -202 compared to the Pirates at +168. The over/under line is currently at 8 runs, and the game can be seen on SN PT.

The Pirates are currently on a two-game losing streak, and their record of 71-80 has them in 5th place in the NL Central. The Cardinals have won two straight and are 3rd in the division at 76-75.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Pirates 1.5 (-125) | Cardinals -1.5 (+102)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Pirates +168 | Cardinals -202

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Pirates vs. Cardinals Prediction: Moneyline

St. Louis picked up a 3-1 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a huge 2nd inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Pirates, they scored their only run in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Cardinals were favored at -153 on the money line.

Lance Lynn started for the Cardinals and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued two walks. Bailey Falter got the start for the Pirates and took the loss, going just 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs.

Jordan Walker was the only Cardinals hitter to have more than one hit, as he went 1/3 with a home run. Bryan De La Cruz also hit a home run for the Pirates and went 1/4.

Pittsburgh is 71-80 overall and 16 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. So far, they are 22-22 in divisional games. The Pirates have dropped two straight games and are losing the series vs. the Cardinals 0-2.

At home, the Pirates are 38-40 this year and 33-40 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates are 37-52 this year, and they have lost three straight as the underdog overall. Pittsburgh’s overall series record is 20-21-6, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games.

St. Louis is 76-75 overall, and they trail the Brewers by 11 games in the NL Central. The Cardinals have gone 25-25 in divisional games this year. The Cardinals have won two straight games, and they are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.

At home, the Cardinals are 41-35 this season, and they are 35-40 on the road. As the favorite, the Cardinals are 36-35 this year and 40-40 as the underdog. St. Louis has won four straight games at home, and their overall series record is 23-20-5.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Prediction: Over/Under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals today. The over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.7 runs. The Pirates’ over/under record for the season is 73-76, and their average over/under line is 8 runs. When the line is set at 8 runs, the Pirates have a 16-18 over/under record. So far this season, 75 of the Pirates’ games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, accounting for 49.7% of their games. On the other hand, 42 games have had lines set lower than 8 runs, making up 27.8% of their games. The Pirates have hit the under in each of their last four games.

Heading into today’s game, Bryan Reynolds is the Pirates’ top hitter, as he is batting .280 for the season and has gone 11/38 in his last 10 games. Reynolds also leads the team with 85 RBIs and is tied with Bryan De La Cruz for the team lead in home runs, with 22. De La Cruz is batting just .236 for the season.

As a team, the Pirates are averaging just 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been even worse in terms of power, as their 145 home runs is 21st in the league. Collectively, the Pirates are batting just .235 and are near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage and slugging.

When the St. Louis Cardinals are at home, the over/under line is set at 8 runs. Their games have averaged 8.5 runs per game this season, and their overall over/under record is 70-77. When the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 11-17-1. In 54.3% of their games this season, the over/under line has been set higher than 8 runs. Their current under streak is at 3 games.

St. Louis is hoping that Brendan Donovan can keep up his hot hitting, as he has gone 9/27 in his last eight games, including one home run and three RBIs. For the season, he is batting .270 and is 3rd on the team with 64 RBIs. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead in home runs, with 21 apiece. However, Goldschmidt is batting just .244 for the season.

As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 4.1 runs per game and are just 19th in home runs. So far, they have been an average team in terms of batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. St. Louis comes into the game with a team OPS of .697, which is 18th in the MLB.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Prediction: Spread

When it comes to betting the run line, the Pirates have been a much better bet on the road this season, going 43-30. However, they have failed to cover the run line in their last three road games. They have also struggled as the favorite, going just 24-38 against the run line, while going 57-32 as the underdog.

The Pirates are sending Jake Woodford to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 0-6 and an ERA of 8.01. Woodford has made six starts and one of them was a quality start. In his most recent outing, he gave up seven earned runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. Looking back over his last four outings, Woodford has given up at least four earned runs in each of them. Opponents are batting .299 off the right-hander this season. Woodford’s ERA at home is 11.74 compared to 0.75 on the road.

St. Louis has been a tough team to predict against the run line this season, as they have a losing run line record overall, but they have been a better bet at home. They have covered the run line in three straight home games and have a .500 record against the run line at home. They have been a better bet as the underdog this season, covering the run line in 52 of those games compared to just 24 times as the favorite.

Sonny Gray will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in six innings of work. In that outing vs. the Reds, he only allowed two hits and issued two walks. Gray finished with two strikeouts in the outing. Looking back over his last four outings, Gray has given up just one earned run in three of them. His record for the season is 13-9, and he has an ERA of 3.75. Opponents are batting .212 off Gray this season. For the year, he has made 27 starts, 13 of which were quality starts.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Pick: Over 8 Runs -111

We see the best value in this Pirates vs. Cardinals matchup coming from the over/under line. Our prediction is that the Cardinals will take this one by a final score of 5-4, giving us a one-run cushion if you are looking to take the money line.

However, we are recommending that you take the over, as we have the line sitting at 8 runs, and the payout is at -111. Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Sonny Gray finishing with six strikeouts compared to Jake Woodford with seven.