I bet you didn’t think you’d be reading a betting preview for the MLB Opening Day matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals.
But here we are.
For the Cardinals, it’s one more time for old times sake in 2022 as Albert Pujols returns to St. Louis to join wily veterans Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright for one more kick at the can.
Can the Cards start the campaign off on the right foot as they hand the ball to Adam Wainwright when they face the lowly Bucs?
Find out with our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Pirates vs. Cardinals on Thursday, April 7.
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Pirates vs Cardinals odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Cardinals opened this National League Central clash favored at about -200 on the moneyline and they have seen the early action, moving the line as high as -222 at some sportsbooks. The total for this game hit the board at 8.0 but 8.5 has started to pop up as of Wednesday evening.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Pirates vs Cardinals predictions
- Prediction: Cardinals -1.5 (+105)
- Prediction: Under 8.5 (-125)
- Best bet: Adam Wainwright to record a win - Yes (+165)
Picks made on 4/06/2022 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Pirates vs Cardinals game info
• Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
• Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022
• First pitch: 4:15 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports Network
Pirates vs Cardinals betting preview
Starting pitchers
JT Brubaker (2021: 5-13, 5.36 ERA): Brubaker gets the Opening Day nod for the Buccos after a year that saw him go 5-13 with a 5.36 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 24 starts. The right-hander actually got off to a solid start in 2021 before a late-season collapse. He allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his first 14 starts before allowing four or more in six of his final 10.
Adam Wainwright (2021: 17-7, 3.05 ERA): Wainwright is coming off about as incredible a season as you could expect from a 39-year-old. The right-hander went 17-7 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP while limiting opponents to a .220 batting average over 32 starts. The question is, how much longer can the veteran keep it up?
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Pirates: Ke’Bryan Hayes 3B (Questionable), Greg Allen RF (Out).
Cardinals: No key injuries to report.
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Pirates went 14-43 in their final 57 road games last season, while the Cardinals went 10-2 in Wainwright’s last 12 starts at Busch Stadium. Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Cardinals.
Pirates vs Cardinals picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Run line analysis
The Cardinals are coming off a 90-win season which ended with a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Wild Card game.
This year, incomes franchise icon Albert Pujols reunites with Molina and Wainwright for what feels like a swan song for this era of Cardinals baseball. Pujols will support what was a middle-of-the-pack offense led by Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. In 2021, they ranked 13th in batting average and 15th in OPS.
That should probably be enough against this Pirates pitching staff.
The Cardinals didn’t have much trouble with Brubaker last season. They went 4-0 in his four starts against Brubaker last season, getting to him for a 6.65 ERA, hitting .299 against him while launching six dingers.
While Brubaker lasted at least five innings in those starts, he’ll then have to hand the ball off to a bullpen that ranked 23rd in ERA and 22nd in WHIP a season ago, and one that did not make any significant additions in the offseason.
Unfortunately, that is still the theme for the Pirates. A refusal to spend. Their payroll has been slashed every year since 2015, culminating with a 61-101 season in 2021. Bryan Reynolds had a fantastic season but that’s about the only positive coming out of Pittsburgh.
This was the lowest-scoring team in baseball last season while ranking 28th in OPS, and Wainwright was a big part of that. The right-hander had the Pirates swinging out of their shoes pitching, limiting them to a .191 batting average and just one run in 30 innings pitched against them. In fact, Wainwright has thrown 26 consecutive shutout innings against the Pirates.
The Pirates to fall Under 65.5 wins was one of my best bets in terms of regular-season win totals, and we might as well start that off right on Opening Day.
Lean towards a Cards win by a couple of runs.
Prediction: Cardinals -1.5 (+105 DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
If this game is going to go Over the total, you are betting on the Cardinals to have a big day at the dish because this Pirates offense is not good. But in the three of the four starts, Wainwright made against the Pirates last season, the Under went 3-1.
That’s because the Cardinals hit like an average team. While they hit for decent average and power, they were inconsistent and as a result ranked 20th in scoring 4.4 runs per game. In those three games that went Under, the Cards scored only a combined ten runs. Of course, the Over was a game they won 13-0 but that’s the chance you take.
Meanwhile, the Pirates scored a league-worst 3.8 runs per game and are already a little banged up heading into Opening Day.
While the Cards’ bats could pop here, getting 8.5 has us leaning towards the Under.
Prediction: Under 8.5 (-125 at Bet365)
Best bet
We have talked about Wainwright’s dominance against the Pirates last season, so our favorite play in this NL Central matchup is for him to record the win in this game.
This those numbers we dug up, it’s not surprising Wainwright went 4-0 in his four starts against the Pirates last season. And the right-hander almost always gives himself the opportunity to at least get a chance for the win. He pitched the minimum five innings required to record a win 30 times in his 32 starts.
We’re betting Wainwright leaves with the lead and the Cardinals bullpen does its job, helping him notch his first win of the season.
While most books have this available laying serious juice, bet365 has it on the board at a whopping +165. Grab it while you can.
Pick: Adam Wainwright to record a win - Yes (+165 at bet365)
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