MLB Game Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates (59-75) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (65-69)

Game Details

• Time: 2:15 PM ET
• Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
• Broadcast: FS1, FDSN Midwest, ATTP

Pittsburgh Pirates (59–75)

• Winners of 6 of their last 8 games, including a dominant 8–3 win over St. Louis earlier this week.
• Offense has come alive recently, scoring 4+ runs in five straight games.
• Oneil Cruz leads the team with 18 HR, while Bryan Reynolds and Jared Triolo have been hot at the plate—Triolo is 14-for-33 over his last 10 games.

St. Louis Cardinals (65–69)

• Have dropped 4 of their last 5 and are 4–9 over their last 13 games.
• Willson Contreras leads the team with 19 HR and 73 RBI, while Alec Burleson is batting .288 and Masyn Winn has chipped in 26 doubles.
• Cardinals are 24–21 this season when favored by −122 or more on the moneyline.

Pitching Matchup

• Ashcraft has been sharp in limited action, with a career FIP of 2.69 and strong command.
• Mikolas has struggled with consistency and has a 6.13 ERA in 8 career starts vs. Pittsburgh.

Betting Odds & Insights

Trends:

• Cardinals are 3–7 ATS in their last 10 games; 7 of those hit the over.
• Pirates are 9–1 ATS in their last 10 and have hit the over in 4 of their last 7.

Players to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Oneil Cruz: 18 HR, team leader in power
• Bryan Reynolds: 34 doubles, 14 HR
• Jared Triolo: Batting .424 over last 10 games with 2 HR and 3 doubles

St. Louis Cardinals

• Willson Contreras: 19 HR, 73 RBI
• Alec Burleson: .288 AVG, 60 RBI
• Masyn Winn: 26 doubles, 9 HR, 31 walks