Cardinals vs. Pirates Odds
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -154 | 9 -105 / -115 | -1.5 +105 |
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
+130 | 9 -105 / -115 | +1.5 -126 |
We have the third and final game of this NL Central series with the second-place Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the fifth-place St. Louis Cardinals.
After winning each of the first two matchups in this series, Pittsburgh looks to extend its win streak to five games. Will the Pirates defend their home diamond, or can St. Louis avoid the sweep?
Here's a look at the odds, as well as my Cardinals vs. Pirates betting pick.
St. Louis Cardinals
Right hander Miles Mikolas takes the mound for St. Louis and should be a good fade candidate. Through 12 starts this season, Mikolas is 4-1 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.
Those are certainly not the worst surface-level stats in the world, but his underlying metrics are much more concerning. Mikolas ranks in the 29th percentile or lower in Average Exit Velocity, xERA/xwOBA, xBA and xSLG.
With that in mind, we are going to fade Mikolas in the strikeout department. This season, he ranks in the 27th percentile in K% and the fourth percentile in Whiff%.
Now is a good opportunity to sell high on Mikolas, who racked up 10 strikeouts in his last outing against the lowly Kansas City Royals. Prior to that, he recorded an average of 2.3 strikeouts per game over his previous three starts.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates' near-.500 record is a perfect embodiment of this team. They are solid at everything, but exceptional at nothing.
Pittsburgh can win games and compete, mostly due to a solid lineup. The Pirates rank in the top half of the league in SLG and OPS.
However, this lineup's greatest strength is avoiding the strikeout, a trend that could carry over in Sunday's contest. This season, Pittsburgh ranks 13th in the league in K%.
Looking at Sunday's projected starting lineup, six of the nine hitters possess a K% south of 21% this year.
Cardinals vs. Pirates Betting Pick
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Mikolas against Pittsburgh over the past couple of seasons. Across his past six starts against the Pirates, he is 1-1 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.
More importantly, he's averaging 3.7 strikeouts per game over that stretch. Through 110 career plate appearances against Mikolas, this current Pittsburgh roster boasts a mere 18.2 K%.
Pick: Miles Mikolas Under 4.5 Strikeouts | Play to -125 |
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