Paul Skenes looks to continue his fabulous rookie season tonight as the Pittsburgh Pirates visit the St. Louis Cardinals for the start of a four-game series at Busch Stadium.
My Pirates vs. Cardinals predictions back Pittsburgh to get the win, with Skenes pitching another gem. Read all about it in my MLB picks for September 16.
Pirates vs Cardinals prediction
My best bet
Pirates moneyline (-135 at DraftKings)
My analysis
The future looks bright for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the biggest reason for that is the emergence of Paul Skenes as a frontline starter. Less than a year out of college, he sports a .99 WHIP and is striking out 11.3 batters per nine innings.
While Pittsburgh has been a mediocre team overall this season, it's elite with Skenes on the mound.
The St. Louis Cardinals come into this matchup off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. Andre Pallante gets the task of trying to break the losing streak, but he's picked up losses in each of his last two starts.
The Pirates aren’t an offensive juggernaut — scoring just 4.21 runs per game — but that'll be enough to challenge Pallante. The Cards' hurler has struggled with his control all year, allowing 4.0 walks per nine innings, and he has a mediocre 4.13 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP as a result.
This would be a tossup game with a random pitching matchup, but with Skenes on the mound, I'm all in on the Buccos.
Paul Skenes pick: Winner winner Cardinal dinner
My best bet
Paul Skenes to record the win (+110 at DraftKings)
My analysis
The Pirates have been relatively careful with Skenes, as he's yet to go over six innings since the last time he faced the Cardinals on July 23. But even without going deep into games, Skenes has still been able to put up impressive numbers.
The 22-year-old has a 1.61 ERA while striking out 36 batters in his last 28 innings of work. More importantly, for our purposes tonight, Skenes has picked up four wins in that stretch, consistently putting the Pirates in position to win and getting enough help from his offense and bullpen to make decisions.
Tonight, he gets to take the mound against an underwhelming Cardinals team he held to just four hits over 8 1/3 innings the first time he faced them.
Pirates vs Cardinals same-game parlay (SGP)
Pirates moneyline
Under 7.5
Bryan Reynolds 1+ hit
I’ll once again take the Pirates on the moneyline, and this time pair it with the Under, as this will be a low-scoring affair with Skenes dealing. I'm adding a hook to the total in order to lock in a win if the total comes in at seven on the dot.
I don’t love any of the available Skenes bets for SGP play, but there are other great options for the Pirates.
I’m going with Brian Reynolds to pick up a hit tonight against Pallante, as Reynolds has hit safely in six straight games — picking up multiple hits four times during that stretch.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
Pirates vs Cardinals odds
Pirates vs Cardinals live odds
Pirates vs Cardinals opening odds
- Moneyline: Pittsburgh -154 | St. Louis +120
- Run line: Pittsburgh -1.5 (+125) | St. Louis +1.5 (-155)
- Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+100) | Under 7.5 (-135)
Pirates vs Cardinals moneyline and Over/Under analysis
- Both the Pirates and the Cardinals have lost a little over five units on the moneyline for backers this season.
- Pittsburgh is 13-7 in games started by Skenes this season, while St. Louis has gone 8-9 in Pallante’s starts.
- The Under has a 75-70 edge in St. Louis’ games this season and has a slight 73-72 advantage when the Pirates play.
- The Cardinals are playing to an average total of 8.60 runs in 2024, similar to Pittsburgh’s average total of 8.77 runs.
Pirates vs Cardinals trend
The Pirates are 4-1 in Skenes’ last five starts overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Pirates vs. Cardinals.
Pirates vs Cardinals game info
| Location: | Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO |
| Date: | Monday, 9-16-2024 |
| First pitch: | 7:45 p.m. ET |
| TV: | SNP, BSMW |
| Pirates starting pitcher: | Paul Skenes (10-2, 2.10 ERA) |
| Cardinals starting pitcher: | Andre Pallante (6-8, 4.13 ERA) |
Pirates vs Cardinals latest injuries
Pirates vs Cardinals weather
Not intended for use in MA.
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