The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals lift the lid on the new season when they meet Thursday at Busch Stadium for a 4:15 p.m. ET first pitch. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Pirates vs. Cardinals odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: The Cardinals won last year’s season series 12-7.
The Pirates got off to a solid start last season with a 12-13 run in April. But they finished with 101 losses (61-101) and finished last in the NL Central.
The Cardinals played .639 ball (46-26) after the All-Star break last season. They took second place in the NL Central and earned an NL Wild Card berth.
Pirates at Cardinals: Projected starters
RHP JT Brubaker vs. RHP Adam Wainwright
Brubaker (2021: 5-13, 5.36 ERA) gets the ball for the opener. He logged a 1.30 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, and 9.3 K/9 through 124 1/3 IP last season.
- Current St. Louis bats own a 1.063 OPS against him.
- Has logged a 6.01 ERA while allowing an .847 OPS across 18 career road games.
Wainwright (2021: 17-7, 3.05 ERA) counters for the Cards. He clocked a 1.06 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, and 7.6 K/9 across 206 1/3 IP last season.
- Logged a 30-inning 0.30 ERA against the Pirates in 2021. Has held current Pittsburgh batters to a whiff-heavy .289 OPS in his career.
- Owns a career 2.85 ERA at home.
Pirates at Cardinals odds, spread and lines
Lines last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Pirates +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Cardinals -180 (bet $180 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Pirates +1.5 (-140) | Cardinals -1.5 (+115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 7.5 (O: -130 | U: +105)