Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds, Picks, & Prediction

insidersbettingdigest.com

13 April 2023

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds, Picks, & Prediction

It’s still a bit too early to really start looking at the MLB standings, but every game still counts the same. The St. Louis Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night for a rivalry game in the NL Central.

These two MLB teams have very different outlooks for the 2023 MLB season, but things haven’t played out that way yet. This is the start of a four-game series in St. Louis, and there have been some tense moments in this rivalry in the past.

The Pirates vs Cardinals odds on Thursday night have the home team as a big favorite, but there can always be surprises in MLB action. We should be in for one of the better games on the MLB schedule.

The Pirates vs Cardinals odds for this game have St. Louis is a big favorite on the moneyline, as those MLB odds are set at -265. Since the moneyline odds are so big, you can also look at the run line, and the Cardinals are 1.5-run favorites at -125.

The over/under is another way to make MLB picks for this game, and that line is set at 8.5 total runs.

Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals

Location of the Game: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri.

Date and Time: Thursday, April 13, 7:45 PM EST.

How to Watch: MLB Network

When looking at the Pittsburgh Pirates stats, the play of Bryan Reynolds immediately jumps off the page. Reynolds has already belted five home runs to begin the year, and he also sports a .347 batting average through the first 12 games.

Pitching is always going to be an issue with this Pirates team, and Vince Velasquez has been a big part of that to begin the year. Velasquez is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA this season, and getting outs in this series is going to be a challenge.

The MLB injury report doesn’t look good for the Pirates either, as they have now lost O’Neil Cruz for the foreseeable future. Cruz is one of the brightest young stars in baseball, and not having him in the lineup is going to be a huge loss moving forward.

The MLB player stats for the St. Louis Cardinals don’t look that impressive yet, but this is a team that can do some damage in a hurry. Rookie Jordan Walker is off to a huge start with the Cardinals, as he has hit safely in all 12 games to begin his career.

The Cardinals have scored 56 runs through their first 12 games, and they have been facing some teams with great starting pitching. Paul Goldschmidt continues to put up big numbers in the middle of that lineup, and this should be a big night on offense.

Jordan Montgomery will be looking to move to 3-0 on the season with a win in this game, and he has pitched well to begin the year. The bullpen has been an adventure at times for St. Louis, and they will need their starter to go deep in this game.

The Pirates vs Cardinals odds give you an indication of how this matchup is supposed to play out, but MLB games don’t always follow an appropriate script. Pittsburgh has proven to be scrappy this season on offense, but they are going to struggle to get enough pitching in this one.

The St. Louis Cardinals roster is simply much better than that of the Pirates, and that’s going to lead to a pretty big win for the home team. Don’t worry about the moneyline in this game, as focusing on the run line is a much better option.

Going with the over 8.5 total runs is also the play in this game, as the Cardinals are going to have a big day on offense in this win.