St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Friday’s St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates odds and lines, with MLB expert picks and predictions.

The St. Louis Cardinals (20-18) and Pittsburgh Pirates (16-21) meet Friday at 6:35 p.m. ET top open a 3-game series at PNC Park. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Cardinals vs. Pirates odds with MLB picks and predictions.

Season series: St. Louis leads 2-1.

The Cardinals 7-6 at the New York Mets Thursday. St. Louis dropped 3 of 4 games in that series and is just 1-5 over its last 6 road tilts.

The Pirates are back at home after dropping 2 contests in a 3-game set at Wrigley Field. Pittsburgh enters this series in a team batting slump: the Bucs own a mere .461 OPS over their last 7 games.

Cardinals at Pirates projected starters

RHP Adam Wainwright vs. RHP Zach Thompson

Wainwright (4-3, 3.15 ERA) owns a 1.23 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 7.4 K/9 through 40 IP in 7 starts.

  • Has authored a 0.25 ERA over his last 5 starts vs. Pittsburgh.
  • Current Pirates batters own an aggregate .306 OPS against him.
  • Owns a 2.37 ERA over his last 3 starts.

Thompson (2-3, 5.47 ERA) has logged a 1.52 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9 and 7.5 K/9 through 26 1/3 IP in 6 starts and 1 relief outing.

  • Clocked a 3.24 ERA in 75 IP last season.
  • Has yielded just 3 hits over 11 scoreless innings across his last 2 starts.

Cardinals at Pirates odds and lines

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:20 a.m. ET.

  • Money line: Cardinals -155 (bet $155 to win $100) | Pirates +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
  • Run line (RL): Cardinals -1.5 (+110) | Pirates +1.5 (-135)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)

Exclusive USA TODAY Network offer: Deposit $10 or more, get $200 in instant bet credits at Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Place your legal, online sports bets at Tipico. Let’s make this interesting. Bet now!

Cardinals at Pirates picks and predictions

Prediction

Pirates 5, Cardinals 4

Money line

Wainwright has historically been a much better pitcher at home. Thompson has, too: he owns a 3.26 ERA over 58 career innings at home.

The Cards have never seen Thompson, and they are a club better suited for facing lefties. They also generate more right-vs.-right plate appearances than the average club, and that plays into a Thompson advantage.

The Redbirds went into extra innings in their Thursday setback at Citi Field, and their bullpen is not in great shape heading into this series.

BACK THE PIRATES (+125), but consider waiting out a better price in early Friday betting.

Win your fantasy baseball league with BaseballHQ.com. For decades, BHQ has been helping players just like you win! Use the couple code SBW22 for 20% OFF full-season subscription. New customer offer; expires 6/30/2022. Subscribe today and start winning!

Run line/Against the spread

Same calculus as above. I will take PIRATES +1.5 (-135)…but will expect a better price at some point Friday.

Over/Under

No significant lean either way. PASS.

Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, Sportsbook Wire’s official sportsbook partner in CO, NJ and soon IA. Bet now!

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Additional MLB coverage:
BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
BaseballPress.com: Your source for every MLB lineup

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]