Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction & MLB Odds For Tuesday, September 17th

From Busch Stadium in St. Louis, we have the Pirates and Cardinals facing off in an NL Central matchup. This one gets started at 7:45 PM ET, and the Cardinals are the betting favorite on the money line (-138). The money line odds for the Pirates are sitting at +118, and the over/under line is at 8 runs.

The forecast for Tuesday’s game calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 90s. Bailey Falter is starting for the Pirates, and the Cardinals are going with Lance Lynn. Pittsburgh is 5th in the NL Central, while the Cardinals are 3rd, with an overall record of 75-75.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Pirates 1.5 (-184) | Cardinals -1.5 (+152)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Pirates +118 | Cardinals -138

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

Pirates vs. Cardinals Prediction: Moneyline

St. Louis cruised to a 4-0 win over the Pirates in the most recent game of this series. The Cardinals had a big 8th inning, scoring two of their four runs. As for the Pirates, they had their best chance to score in the 7th, but could only muster one run. Heading into the game, the Cardinals were at +112 on the money line.

Andre Pallante pitched well for the Cardinals in this one, going seven innings and striking out nine without giving up a run. He picked up a win in the game, while Paul Skenes took the loss for the Pirates. Skenes only gave up one earned run in six innings of work.

Nolan Arenado had a two-hit game for the Cardinals, scoring one run and driving in another. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the only Pirates hitter to have more than one hit.

Pittsburgh is 71-79 overall, putting them 5th in the NL Central, 16 games behind the Brewers. So far, they have gone 22-21 against other teams in the NL Central. The Pirates dropped the series opener vs. the Cardinals and are 20-21-6 in series this year.

At home, the Pirates are 38-40 this year compared to 33-39 on the road. As the underdog, the Pirates’ overall record is 37-51, and they have dropped two straight as the underdog. When favored, Pittsburgh is 34-28 this season. Their overall record is 5-5 over their last 10 games.

St. Louis is right at .500 with a record of 75-75, and they are 12 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals are 24-25 against other teams in the NL Central this year. St. Louis got a two-game lead on the Cubs with their overall record, as the Cubs are 75-77 heading into today’s action.

At home, the Cardinals are 40-35 this year and 35-40 on the road. As the favorite, St. Louis is 35-35 this year and 40-40 as the underdog. They have won two straight games as the favorite and have an overall series record of 23-20-5 this year. Over the last 10 games, the Cardinals are 4-6.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Prediction: Over/Under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on the road today against the St. Louis Cardinals, with the over/under line set at 8 runs. The combined run average in Pirates games this season is 8.7 runs, and their over/under record is 73-75. The average over/under line in their games is 8 runs, and when the line is set at 8 runs, their record is 16-17. This season, 75 of their games have had over/under lines set above 8 runs, accounting for 50.0% of their games. Their current under streak is at 3 games.

For the season, the Pirates are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. This is also right around where they have been at home, where they are averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235 and have the 23rd ranked slugging percentage in the league.

Bryan Reynolds has been the Pirates’ top hitter this season, batting .280 with a team-high 22 home runs and 85 RBIs. Andrew McCutchen is 2nd on the team in homers (20) but is batting just .237 for the season and has gone 2/13 in his last four games. Jared Triolo has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/19 in his last six games.

The St. Louis Cardinals are playing host to the Pittsburgh Pirates today, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Cardinals games this season is 8.6, and their over/under record is 70-76. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, St. Louis has gone 11-16-1. In total, 82 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 54.7% of their contests. The under has hit in the last two games for the Cardinals.

Heading into today’s game, the Cardinals offense is averaging just 4.1 runs per game, which is 25th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 4 runs per game. As a team, the Cardinals are batting .246, which is 11th in the league. Their team on-base percentage is just 13th in the league, at .309.

Over his last seven games, Brendan Donovan has gone 8/23, including one home run. This has brought his season average up to .270. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead in homers, with 21, but Goldschmidt is batting just .245 this season.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Prediction: Spread

Despite a losing record overall, the Pirates have been a profitable team to bet on the run line this season, going 81-69. They have been especially good on the road, going 43-29 against the run line. They have been a better bet as an underdog than as a favorite, going 57-31 against the run line in those games. The Pirates have been a strong bet to cover the run line in their wins, with an average run margin of 3.2 runs in those games.

Pittsburgh is sending Bailey Falter to the mound today vs. the Cardinals, and he comes in with a record of 8-7 and an ERA of 4.20. Falter has made 25 starts this year and turned in eight quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 6.23 strikeouts and 2.73 walks. In his last outing, Falter was terrific, going 7 1/3 innings and not giving up a run. He got the win in that outing. Before that, he had given up at least three earned runs in three straight starts. Opponents are batting .255 off the left-hander this year.

St. Louis has been a .500 team against the run line this season, going 75-75. They have been slightly better on the road, going 38-37, compared to 37-38 at home. The Cardinals have been a better bet as an underdog, going 52-28 against the run line, compared to 23-47 as a favorite. Their average run differential is -0.4 runs per game, with a run differential of -0.2 at home and -0.7 on the road. They have covered the run line in two straight games and are 1-0 against the run line as the favorite in that span.

St. Louis is sending right-hander Lance Lynn to the mound today vs. the Pirates. He has made 22 starts this year and has a record of 6-4 with an ERA of 3.96. Lynn’s WHIP for the season is 1.36. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going five innings and giving up one earned run on five hits. Lynn has made six quality starts this year and is averaging 8.41 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking at his home/road splits, Lynn is 5-0 with a 3.62 ERA at home compared to 1-4 with a 6.17 ERA on the road.

Pirates vs. Cardinals Pick: Pirates ML +118

Our pick for today’s Pirates vs. Cardinals matchup is to take the Pirates on the money line at +118. We have the Pirates winning this one by a final score of 5-4. If you’re looking for a parlay, the over/under is sitting at 8 runs, and we would take the over.

Looking at today’s starting pitchers, Lance Lynn is projected to finish with six strikeouts, while Bailey Falter is predicted to finish with just three. At the plate, we have the Pirates finishing with 10 team strikeouts compared to the Cardinals with eight.