Dakota Hudson will get the start for the Cardinals (58-76, 30-38 home) as they host the Pirates (61-73, 29-37 away) at Busch Stadium. The Pirates will give the starting nod to Mitch Keller. Check out my prediction for game one of this NL Central matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES VS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -116

This game will be played at Busch Stadium at 8:15 ET on Friday, September 1st.

WHY BET THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS:

  • The Cardinals are riding a two game home win streak heading into today’s game.
  • So far this year, the Cardinals lead the season series against the Pirates 3-7.
  • The Cardinals are 3-1 in Dakota Hudson’s last four starts.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES ON A RUNLINE WIN STREAK

Currently, the Pirates are 4th in the NL Central on an overall record of 61-73. Their season-long runline record is 67-67, which includes going 35-31 vs. the runline on the road. For the season, Pittsburgh has won less than half of their series away from home (5-12). The Pirates’ over/under record this season comes in at 71-58.

Mitch Keller is set to take the mound for the Pirates, having gone six-plus innings in each of his last three starts. The right-hander has posted an 11-8 record and 4.01 ERA this season, with 179 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP. He has also allowed a .305 wOBA and issued 48 walks.

The Pirates emerged victorious in Keller’s last outing, defeating the Cubs 2-1. The right-hander pitched eight innings of shutout ball, surrendering just four hits while notching a win for his record.

Over their last ten games, the Pirates are ranked 13th in the league in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. Their season-long scoring average of 4.2 per contest puts them 22nd in baseball. In terms of on-base percentage, Pittsburgh is 18th, with an OBP currently sitting at .314. The team’s collective batting average is .235 (20th).

Jack Suwinski has been a bright spot for the Pirates’ offense in their last five games, leading the team with a .333 batting average. The outfielder has also been productive throughout the season, with a .207 batting average and 56 RBIs.

WILL THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

134 games into the season, the Cardinals have a record of 58-76, putting them 5th in the NL Central. This mark includes an overall series 15-22-4. At home, they are 30-38 compared to 28-38 on the road.

Dakota Hudson takes the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals with a 5-1 record this season. He has made 12 appearances, recording an ERA of 4.41 and a K/9 of 6.06. His FIP stands at 5.18, while his OBP is .335.

Dakota Hudson endured a rough outing in his most recent start, surrendering five earned runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings as the Cardinals fell 12-1 to the Phillies.

In their five most recent games, the Cardinals have put together a batting average of only .168, placing them 29th compared to the rest of the league. At 4.5 runs per game, St. Louis is 16th in the MLB. This figure has come on a team batting average of .254 and OPS of .754 which has them 8th in baseball.

The Cardinals’ leader in hits, Paul Goldschmidt, is batting .278 this season. He has a slugging percentage of .460 and an on-base percentage of .368.