Martin Perez and the Pittsburgh Pirates look to win the final game of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Pirates prediction and pick.
Cardinals-Pirates Projected Starters
Matt Liberatore vs. Martin Perez
Matt Liberatore (2-2) with a 4.15 ERA
Martin Perez (1-5) with a 5.61 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP
Last Start: Last time out, Perez went 3.2 innings, giving up seven hits, two walks, and two home runs. He would surrender six runs but take the no-decision as the Pirates won over the Phillies.
2024 Home Splits: Perez is 0-2 in eight starts at home. He has a 4.87 ERA and a .309 opponent batting average in those games.
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Pirates Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+146)
Moneyline: -110
Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-176)
Moneyline: -106
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
How to Watch Cardinals vs. Pirates
Time: 12:35 PM ET/ 9:35 AM PT
TV: BSMW/SNP
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Cardinals are tied for 23rd this year in runs scored while sitting 13th in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and 20th in slugging. Alec Burleson has been great for them this year. He is hitting .293 on the year with a .323 on-base percentage. Burleson leads the team with 59 RBIs while hitting 18 home runs. Further, he has stolen seven bases and scored 43 times. Nolan Gorman has also been driving in runs. He is hitting just .206 on the year but has 19 home runs and 50 RBIs. He has scored 41 times. Brendan Donovan rounds out the best bats of the year. He is hitting .272 this year with a team-leading .338 on-base percentage. He has nine home runs and 48 RBIS while scoring 44 times this year.
Alec Burleson has also been hot since the All-Star break. He is hitting .389 since the break with a home run and six RBIs. Further, he has scored twice. Brendan Donovan is driving in runs, but not hitting well as of late. Since the break, he is hitting just .176 but has a home run and three RBIs while scoring once. Masyn Winn has been scoring runs since the break. He is hitting 278 with a .316 on-base percentage. He has two triples, but not driven in a run, still, he has scored three times.
Current Cardinals have 57 career at-bats against Martin Perez. Nolan Arenado has the most experience, but he is just one for 13 against Perez. Still, the one hit is a home run, as he has driven in two runs and walked twice. Brandon Crawford also has a home run against Perez. He is one for five with a home run and three RBIs.
Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Pirates are tied for 23rd in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 26th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging. Bryan Reynolds leads the way this year. He is hitting .288 with a .353 on-base percentage. Reynolds has 18 home runs, 61 RBIs and 49 runs scored this year. Oneil Cruz is also having a solid year. He is hitting .252 on the year with a .305 o base percentage. He has 15 home runs and 51 RBIs while scoring 44 times. Rounding out the top bats on the year is Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen is hitting just .231 but has a .332 on-base percentage. He has 13 home runs this year, and 26 RBIS while scoring 52 times on the season.
Since the All-Star break, Oneil Cruz has been on fire. He has been hitting .375 since the break with a .412 on-base percentage. He has a home run and seven RBIs. Further, Curz has stolen two bases and scored three times. Scoring well is something Andrew McCutchen is doing. He has been hitting .333 since the break with a .412 on-base percentage. He has a home run and an RBI but has scored five times. Bryan Reynolds is also coming into this game hot. He has been hitting .400 since the All-Star break, with a .471 on-base percentage. He has not driven in a run but has scored four times in four games. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .285 since the break with two home runs and 14 runs scored.
Final Cardinals-Pirates Prediction & Pick
Neither offense has been stellar this year. They both can struggle to score runs, but there should be opportunities in this game. With Martin Perez on the mound for the Pirates, the Cardinals should get a chance to get the bats right. Perez has been struggling to give up the long ball as of late, giving up home runs in three of his last four starts. He has also given up five or more runs in three of his last four starts as well. With that, take the Cardinals to get the win in this one.
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Final Cardinals-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Cardinals ML (-110)
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