Cardinals vs Pirates MLB Betting + Handicapping Picks
With the Reds running away with the NL Central the Pirates and Cardinals will have to chase the Wild Card to make the post-season. St. Louis and Atlanta are tied for the Wild Card lead while Pittsburgh is 2 games back.
Venue/ Stadium: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Time/Date: 7 PM EST Wednesday, August 29, 2012
MLB Odds From: Bovada
Moneyline: Cardinals -120 / Pirates +100
Over/Under: 8.5 runs
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
The Pirates have been struggling losing 7 of their last 10 games while the Cardinals are surging winning 7 of their last 10 games. MLB odds have the visiting Cardinals as the slight favorite with a total of 8.5 runs.
In yesterday’s game the Pirates offense came alive and they beat the Cardinals 9-0.
The Cardinals have an O/U record of 61-63 with a run-line W/L record of 60-69 and the Pirates have an O/U record of 57-65 with a run-line W/L record of 72-57.
While the Pirates won last night the Cardinals have won 5 of their last 7 games against them in Pittsburgh.
On the season the Pirates are 39-26 at home and the Cardinals are 31-32 on the road.
Joe Kelly (4-5, 3.26 ERA) gets the starting nod for the Cardinals and in his last outing he gave up 1 earned run in 3 innings in a win over the Reds. Wandy Rodriguez (8-13, 4.01 ERA) goes for the Pirates and he gave up 3 earned runs in 6 innings in his last outing, which was a loss to the Brewers. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Kelly has made 2 relief appearances in his last 2 stints of action and in 11 of his last 12 starts has allowed 3 or fewer runs.
Rodriguez is 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA in 6 games, 5 starts, since being acquired from the Houston Astros.
These 2 teams have split the 14 games they have faced each other this season.
The Pirates will need a good outing from Rodriguez since their offense only ranks 20th in the Majors in runs scored while the Cardinals rank 3rd and 2nd in team batting average.
In some betting trends for this NL Central match up the Cardinals are 6-2 in their last 8 games, 1-4 in Kelly’s last 5 starts as a favorite, and they have an Over record of 5-1 in their last 6 games.
The Pirates are 4-9 in their last 13 home games, 0-4 in Rodriguez’s last 4 starts, and they have an Over record of 11-4 in their last 15 home games.
Jason’s Pick: I think Rodriguez will have a good start for a change and the hometown Pirates will win their 2nd straight game.
