Jared Jones heads to the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates as they host the St. Louis Cardinals. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Pirates prediction and pick.

Cardinals-Pirates Projected Starters 

Miles Mikolas vs. Jared Jones

Miles Mikolas (6-7) with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP

Last Start: Mikolas is coming off the worst start of the year for him. He went just 4.1 innings, giving up 12 hits, a walk, and a home run. He would allow ten runs, with nine earned in the loss to the Reds.

2024 Road Splits: Mikolas has made nine starts on the road, going 5-4 with a 4.59 ERA and an opponent batting average of .263.

Jared Jones (5-6) with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

Last Start: Jones went seven innings in his previous start giving up three hits and three walks. Jones would allow two runs, and take the win over the Rays.

2024 Home Splits:  Jones has been great at home. He has made eight starts, going 3-2 with a 2.20 ERA and a .201 opponent batting average.

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Cardinals-Pirates Odds

St. Louis Cardinals: -1.5 (+162)

Moneyline:  +110

Pittsburgh Pirates: +1.5 (-196)

Moneyline:-130

Over: 8.5 (-102)

Under: 8.5 (-120)

How to Watch Cardinals vs. Pirates

Time: 6:40 PM ET/ 3:40 PM PT

TV: BSMW/SNP

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Cardinals Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Cardinals are 27th in the majors in runs scored while sitting 17th in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, and 20th in slugging. Brendan Donovan has been solid this year. He is hitting .264 on the year with a .333 on-base percentage. He has just eight home runs but leads the team with 41 RBIS and scored 36 times this year. Alex Burelson has also been solid on the year. He is hitting .278 on the year, with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. He has scored 32 times. Leading the team in home runs this year is Nolan Gorman. He is hitting just .187 on the year with 16 home runs and 37 RBIs. Meanwhile, Paul Goldschmidt leads the team in runs scored this year. He is hitting .225 on the year with 11 home runs, 33 RBIs and 39 runs scored.

Alec Burleson has been driving in plenty of runs this past week. He is hitting just .143 weekly, with five RBIs. Nolan Arenado has been solid as well in nthe last week. He is hitting .273 with a home run and two RBIs. He has scored three times as well. Meanwhile, Michael Siani has been solid. He is hitting .400 in the last week with two doubles and a triple. Siani has driven in a run and scored three times.

Why The Pirates Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Pirates are 25th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 27th in batting average, 26th in on-base percentage, and 28th in slugging. Bryan Reynolds has led the way this year. He is hitting .275 on the year while getting on base at a .341 rate. Reynolds has 13 home runs and 46 RBIs while scoring 35 times on the year. Oneil Cruz has also been solid this year. He is hitting .239 on the year with a .294 on-base percentage. He has 12 home runs and 36 RBIs while scoring 36 times. Rounding out the top bats on the year with Connor Joe. Joe is hitting .248 on the year with a .329 on-base percentage. He has seven home runs, 28 RBIS, and 38 runs scored.

Rowdy Tellez has been sold in the last week. He is hitting .313 in the last week, with a .353 on-base percentage. He has two home runs and four RBIs while scoring four times in the last week. Nick Gonzalez is also hitting. He is hitting .368 in the last week with an RBI and two runs scored. Ke'Bryan Hayes has also been solid in the last week. He is hitting .333 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Pirates have 140 career at-bats against Miles Mikolas. They have hit .250 with two home runs and eight RBIs. Rowdy Tellez has been solid. He is 6-20 with a double, two home runs and two RBIs. Meanwhile, Bryan Reynolds has a solid record against Mikolas. He is 13-36 with four doubles, a triple, and four RBIs. Oneil Cruz also has a solid record against Mikolas. He is two for seven with two RBIs against Mikolas.

Final Cardinals-Pirates Prediction & Pick

Miles Mikolas is coming off his worst start of the year. He had been solid on the mount in the first three starts but then has given up 14 runs in his last two. Mikolas is hit-and-miss, while Jared Jones has been great at home. The Pirates are the better team in this one and will get the win.

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Final Cardinals-Pirates Prediction & Pick: Pirates ML  (-130)