Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals prediction: St. Louis Cardinals ML

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The Pick

St. Louis Cardinals ML (-120)

Why It Works

St. Louis Cardinals ML (-120) is still the side because Andre Pallante and Jordan Walker give St. Louis the cleaner path to the handful of moments that usually decide this kind of game. The supporting numbers: 373 hits vs. 404, 51 home runs vs. 49.

Jordan Walker gives St. Louis a real middle-of-the-order anchor with 34 RBIs and 13 home runs. If Andre Pallante does his job, St. Louis has the arm talent to keep this game on script after 40 strikeouts and 2 quality starts so far.

The season-long hit count is not lopsided enough to scare this off either (373 versus 404), especially if St. Louis gets the better bullpen innings. There is enough power in the profile too, with 51 home runs on the board for St. Louis.

Odds & Context

Pittsburgh Pirates is 24-24 entering this matchup, while St. Louis Cardinals is 28-19. The market has St. Louis Cardinals ML (-120) pregame.

Risk to Watch

A baseball moneyline can still flip on one ugly inning, one bullpen leak, or one cluster of extra-base contact. That is the part to watch even when the matchup still points to the right side.