Can Pirates Upset the Cardinals at the MLB Lines for Friday Night?

Can Pirates Upset the Cardinals at the MLB for Friday Night?

Written by on June 1, 2018

The MLB Lines favorite St. Louis Cardinals will look to pick up another win on Friday night when they host the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 2 of their four-game series against their longtime NL Central division rivals. More importantly, can Miles Mikolas continue his dream season when he takes the mound against Pittsburgh for the third time in five weeks or can the Pirates break out of a slump they’ve been in for the better part of the last two weeks? Let’s find out where the MLB Betting value lies in this NL matchup right now.

Pittsburgh (29-27) at St. Louis (30-24) MLB Lines & Expert Pick

  • When: Friday, June 1, 2018, 8:15 PM
  • Where: New Busch Stadium)
  • TV: FS-Midwest
  • Radio: Pittsburgh 93.7 FM / St. Louis 880 AM
  • Live Stream: MLB.tv
  • MLB Lines: St. Louis Cardinals -145 / Pittsburgh Pirates +125 (Over/Under at 8)

Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)

  • Runs: Pittsburgh Pirates 5.60 / St. Louis Cardinals 3.90
  • Hits: Pittsburgh Pirates 9.20 / St. Louis Cardinals 7.90
  • Walks: Pittsburgh Pirates 3.10 / St. Louis Cardinals 3.10
  • Strike Outs: Pittsburgh Pirates 6.90 / St. Louis Cardinals 7.90

Cubs vs. Mets Friday Night Game Info & MLB Betting Prediction

Starting Pitchers

  • Pittsburgh Pirates: Jameson Taillon – R – (2-4, 4.53 ERA)
  • St. Louis Cardinals: Miles Mikolas – R – (6-0, 2.58 ERA)

Why Bet on the Pirates MLB Lines?

Why should you consider betting on the Pirates in this one? Because they’re completely and utterly desperate, that’s why! Pittsburgh has lost five of their last six games and fell completely apart in the ninth inning of their 10-8 loss against St. Louis on Thursday night. Pittsburgh starter Trevor Williams got smacked around for five runs on nine hits in five innings before reliever Felipe Vasquez got touched up for five more runs in the ninth to get saddled with the loss. The Pirates pounded out 12 hits as Josh Harrison went 2-4 with a home run and three RBI. Right-hander Jameson Taillon gets his second consecutive start against the Cardinals in this contest after getting a no-decision in a 6-4 loss against St. Louis after allowing three runs on five hits in 6.1 innings on Sunday.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Runs: 4.73
  • Hits: 8.82
  • Walks: 3.27
  • Strike Outs: 7.45
Defense
  • Runs: 4.54
  • Hits: 8.88
  • Walks: 2.96
  • Strike Outs: 8.20

Why Bet on the Cardinals MLB Lines?

Why consider betting on St. Louis in this affair? The best reasons are that the Cardinals have been playing well by winning four of their last six games. St. Louis has momentum as well after pulling off their miraculous comeback win on Thursday night. The Cardinals cranked out 14 hits and saw Yairo Munoz go 2-5 with a three-run homer and five RBI. The MLB Lines for Friday Night are favoring the Cardinals. Right-hander Miles Mikolas will be facing the Pirates for the third time in five weeks and will be looking for nothing less than a victory after getting a no-decision in each of his first two outings against the Pirates. Miles Mikolas was forced to head to Japan to resume his professional career after struggling mightily stateside. Since his return, however, he’s been unbeaten in 10 starts this season and has limited the opposition to two runs or less in seven starts.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Runs: 4.39
  • Hits: 8.20
  • Walks: 3.43
  • Strike Outs: 8.93
Defense
  • Runs: 3.93
  • Hits: 8.26
  • Walks: 3.41
  • Strike Outs: 8.28

Latest MLB Betting Trends

  • Pittsburgh is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
  • Pittsburgh is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games on the road
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 games on the road
  • St. Louis is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
  • St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 5 games at home

Expert Analysis and Prediction

The Cardinals are the easy pick in this Friday night matchup simply because they find ways to win games where the Pirates are coming up with new ways to lose games on an almost daily basis. Miles Mikolas has been nothing short of outstanding this season and looks like he’s due for a strong outing after giving up four earned runs for the third time this season the last time he took the mound. Pittsburgh is 5-12 in their last 17 road games while the Cardinals have gone 8-2 in their last 10 home games against a team with a winning record and 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter. Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 2 – St. Louis Cardinals 5