The MLB playoff race is no longer a concern of either the St Louis Cardinals or the Pittsburgh Pirates as their hopes of post-season action have been extinguished in recent days, but the home side are capable of coming out on top when they meet at PNC Park on Tuesday.
The teams are third and fourth in the National League Central division, with the Pirates three games ahead at 79-77 and the Cardinals at 76-80, so they have had decent seasons, but not good enough to compete with the division's top two teams, the Milwaukee Brewers (98-58) and the Chicago Cubs (87-69).
St Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates betting picks and predictions
Pirates -1.5 run line (+150)
While neither team is heading to the playoffs, the Pirates have certainly been approaching the end of the regular season with more of a spring in their step and they will head into their final home series opener of the year on a four-game winning streak.
The Pirates swept the Kansas City Royals 3-0 at PNC Park over the weekend and while Tuesday's starting pitcher Jared Jones has made only 19 appearances this season, he has been in good form of late, leading the side to shutout wins over the Angels and White Sox in two of his three starts this month.
His latest outing was in a 5-4 loss to the Brewers last Wednesday but he gave up only three of those runs and was not credited with the loss.
The Cardinals have lost their way a little over the final weeks of the season, with only four wins in their last 12 games, and they had lost four in a row against the Giants and Nationals before beating Washington 5-3 on Sunday. Even then, they had trailed 3-2 heading into the eighth inning.
Cardinals starter Andre Pallante has the most wins on their staff this season with a 12-7 record, but his latest outings have not been pretty and he gave up eight hits and eight runs in a 10-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants last week.
With home advantage and a 42-36 record in front of their own fans this season, the Pirates are capable of winning by multiple runs, with the Cardinals' recent four-game losing streak including defeats by margins of seven, eight and three runs.
Over 7.0 total runs (-125)
It has been a while since the Cardinals were involved in a defensive struggle, with their last five games producing totals of 13, 11, 10, 13 and eight runs, and another game with at least eight runs looks likely when they head to Pittsburgh.
The Pirates have taken part in some similarly entertaining contests, with their last five outings featuring totals of nine, 11, 13, 11 and seven runs.
The home side have had the eighth-most totals going over in MLB this season with an 80-69-7 record and the second-most when they are the home team at 47-29-2.
Oneil Cruz over 0.5 runs (+110)
With plenty of scoring expected, taking an individual hitter player prop is also attractive and Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz is a prime candidate.
The center fielder has played only 93 games this season, having missed two months of action with a hand injury in the summer, but he has returned in fine form and has been sharp over the last week.
Cruz has hit two home runs in the last week, one each against the Brewers and Royals, and has accounted for five runs in his last five appearances. With six hits in three games in the weekend series against Kansas City, he is worth taking at plus-money to score over 0.5 runs on Tuesday.
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St Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates odds
St Louis Cardinals | +125 ML |
Pittsburgh Pirates | -150 ML |
Run Line | PIT Pirates -1.5 |
Total | O/U 7.0 |
St Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates player props
Player Home run odds
Alec Burleson (STL Cardinals) | +500 |
Brandon Lowe (PIT Pirates) | +650 |
Oneil Cruz (PIT Pirates) | +700 |
Jordan Walker (STL Cardinals) | +750 |
Leonardo Bernal (STL Cardinals) | +800 |
Rafael Flores (PIT Pirates) | +900 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
