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Paul Skenes hits the mound as the St. Louis Cardinals face the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Pirates prediction and pick.
The Cardinals come into the series are 4-5 on the year. They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Twins, before dropping two of three to the Angels. They were then swept in three games by the Red Sox over the weekend. Adding insult to injury, Ivan Herrera went down for the Cardinals in the series and will be on the IL. Meanwhile, the Pirates are 3-7 on the year heading into the series. They opened up dropping three of four to the Marling, before losing two of three to both the Rays and Yankees.
The Cardinals and Pirates will play game one of the series on Monday night.
Cardinals-Pirates Projected Starters
Sonny Gray vs. Paul Skenes
Sonny Gray (1-0) with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP
Last Start: Gray went six innings, giving up five hits but striking out nine batters. Still, he would give up two home runs, and five runs total, taking the no-decision as the Cardinals beat the Angeles 12-5.
Away Splits: Gray has not pitched on the road this year, but was 4-4 with a 5.20 ERA and a .253 opponent batting average on the road last year.
Paul Skenes (1-0) with a 1.46 ERA and a 0.65 WHIP
Last Start: Skenes went seven innings, giving up three hits and one unearned run in his last start. Further, he struck out six in a winning effort over the Rays.
Home Splits: Skenes has not pitched at home yet this year, but was 6-1 at home last year with a 2.51 ERA and a .224 opponent batting average.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Pirates Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-200)
Moneyline: +112
Pittsburgh Pirates: -1.5 (+164)
Moneyline: -132
Over: 6.5 (-122)
Under: 6.5 (+100)
Article Continues Below
How to Watch Cardinals vs. Pirates
Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT
TV: FDSNMW/SNP
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
Lars Nootbar leads the top of the lineup for the Cardinals. He is hitting .333 with a .435 on-base percentage this year. He has also scored ten runs, hit two home runs, and has six RBIs. Wilson Contreras hits behind Nootbar. Contreras is hitting just .114 this year with 16 strikeouts but does have two doubles, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Masyn Winn rounds out the top of the order. He is hitting .242 with two RBIs and six runs scored.
Meanwhile, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan hold down the middle of the order. Arenado is .343 with a .439 OBP. He also has three doubles, a home run, six RBIs, and six runs scored. Donovan is hitting .333 with a .375 OBP. He has two home runs, eight RBIs, and five runs scored. Finally, Victor Scott II has been solid, hitting .281 with a double, a home run, four stolen bases, five RBIs, and six runs scored.
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
Ke'Bryan Hayes leads the top of the order for the Pirates. He is hitting .257 with a .316 OBP. Hayes has a double, a triple, a home run, four RBIs, two stolen bases, and five runs scored. Sitting behind Hayes is Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds is hitting .182 with a .234 OBP. He has two doubles, a home run, five RBIs, and three runs scored. Rounding out the top of the order is Oneil Cruz. Cruz is hitting .242 with a .395 OBP. He has a double, two home runs, four RBIs, seven stolen bases, and five runs scored.
Joey Bart starts the middle of the order. He is hitting .214 with a .333 OBP. Bart has just one RBI and two runs scored though. Behind Bart in the order is Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen is hitting .316 with a .409 OBP. He has a home run, two RBIs, and one run scored.
Final Cardinals-Pirates Prediction & Pick
Current members of the Pirates have had a lot of experience against Sonny Gray. They have hit .250 off him with a .292 OBP. Further, they have two home runs and ten RBIs off of Gray. Further, the Pirates have ten extra-base hits against Gray in just 84 at-bats. Gray has also struggled on the road in comparison to his pitching at home. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have plenty of experience against Paul Skenes but have hit just .214 against him, with a .228 on-base percentage. They have one home run and three RBIs. Further, two of the three extra-base hits against Skenes come from Nolan Arenado, while the other batters have one in 47 at-bats. With the better pitcher and solid offense, take the Pirates in this one.
Final Cardinals-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML (-132)
