Division rivals will collide in the first of two ESPN broadcasts on Sunday when the Pirates play host to the Cardinals looking to pull ahead in the standings and hopefully chew off some of the Cubs huge lead in the process.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
As good a start as Chicago has gotten out to, it’s almost a forgone conclusion just nine-plus weeks into the season that neither the Cardinals nor Pirates have a shot of winning the NL Central.
Regardless, there are still wild card slots available which is what these teams will be fighting for the rest of the way. St. Louis and Pittsburgh sport identical records heading into Friday’s series opener at 32 game sup and 28 games down. The Cardinals have been better on the road in winning 17 of 29 for a $399 profit, while the Pirates have been better at home where they’ve won 18 of 30 for a $244 return on investment for $100 players. Something will have to give in this one.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Getting the starting nod for the thirteenth time this season will be Mike Leake. The righty signed a big $80M deal in the offseason, but has yet to show upper management it was wise to push that type of money his way. He’s 4-4 overall with a 4.22 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. He had thrown five straight quality starts up until his last outing in Cincinnati, but pitching in his former ball park might have gotten to him. He’s performed well versus Pittsburgh in the past in going 8-4 overall with a 3.16 ERA and .259 batting average against.
Jonathan Niese also faced his former ball club last time out, but the results were much better for the lefty who shut the Mets out through seven innings and allowed just four hits. The win moved him to 6-2 overall, and his 3.93 ERA is second best on the starting staff to Gerrit Cole. He’s been at his best at home where he’s 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, and he owns a winning record versus the Redbirds lifetime in going 4-3 with a 3.45 ERA over 10 starts.
LIVE BETTING
Pittsburgh has held the upper hand in this division rivalry. Clint Hurdle’s troops have secured wins in 13 of the last 20 overall meetings with the over 10-9-1 in those contests.
They’ve been even better at home where they’ve secured wins in 14 of the last 20 meetings with the total split evenly right down the middle in those games.
QUICK PICK
I don’t like what I’ve been seeing from the Buccos of late. After getting throttled 11-5 in a make-up game with the Rockies in Colorado on Thursday, the team has logged wins in just three of its last 10 played games. Two of those wins came against a Mets team they’ve for some reason or another dominated of late. While that’s also been the case with the Cardinals, Mike Matheny’s squad is currently playing a much better brand of ball in winning six of their last 10 while playing .600 ball in their last 10 on the road as well.
No longer do southpaws give the Cardinals offense problems with it scoring an average of 5.6 runs per game against them to date. Leake has excelled at PNC throughout his career in allowing just 81 hits through 88.1 innings and pitching to a 2.75 ERA.
Look for this game to be hard fought all the way through, but for the Cards offense to come up with that big hit late to allow the team to secure a crucial win and possible series victory.
MLB Odds: Cardinals 4, Pirates 2
The MLB odds for this game will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this nationally-televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now! First pitch for the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, 2016, at 5:05 p.m. ET at PNC Park. The matchup can be seen live on ESPN.
