The St. Louis Cardinals visit the Pittsburgh Pirates for the start of a three-game series at PNC Park on Monday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM ET. St. Louis enters at 47-38 and sits in the middle of the NL Wild Card race. Pittsburgh is 35-50 and near the bottom of the standings but is playing well at home.
St. Louis took two of three from Pittsburgh when they last met in early May. The Cardinals swept that series by a combined score of 13-4. They’ve also won seven of the last ten meetings dating back to September 2024. This will be the seventh matchup of the season between these division rivals.
STL Preview – Cardinals Riding Strong Pitching into Pittsburgh
St. Louis comes in on a three-game win streak after sweeping the Guardians in Cleveland. The team has won 10 of its last 13 games overall. Pitching has been the key, with starters like Sonny Gray and Matthew Liberatore turning in dominant performances last week.
Erick Fedde gets the ball Monday. He is 3-7 with a 4.11 ERA. In his last outing, he gave up seven earned runs in 3.2 innings against the Cubs. But he had been sharp before that, including six no-hit innings in his first start against Pittsburgh back in April.
Offensively, Nolan Gorman has stepped up in June. He hit .264 for the month with five home runs and 13 RBIs. St. Louis has scored at least five runs in four of its last six wins. Their bullpen has also been solid, with Phil Maton, Ryan Helsley, and JoJo Romero all posting ERAs under 3.50.
PIT Preview – Pirates Return Home After Explosive Weekend
The Pirates are coming off a huge weekend at the plate. They scored 30 runs over three games against the Mets and won all three. Sunday’s 12-1 win was their highest scoring game of the season. Ke’Bryan Hayes has been leading the way with an eight-game hitting streak and 13 hits over that stretch.
Andrew Heaney starts for Pittsburgh. He’s 3-7 with a 4.48 ERA but has been hit hard in his last two outings. He gave up seven runs in both games and didn’t make it past the fifth inning in either. Heaney has also struggled in his career vs St. Louis, posting an 11.57 ERA in three starts.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been up and down. Dennis Santana is suspended, and Colin Holderman is on the IL. Caleb Ferguson and David Bednar remain key late-inning arms. The Pirates are 23-21 at home and have hit the team total under in 51 of their last 84 games, showing their offense is usually quiet outside of big bursts.
Betting Prediction
St. Louis is listed as a -125 favorite with the total set at 8.5. Fedde has had success against Pittsburgh in the past, including a six-inning no-hit start earlier this year. Despite his struggles against the Cubs, he has pitched well in four of his last five starts. The Cardinals are also hot and have covered the run line in 23 of their last 32 road games.
Heaney’s recent form is a concern, especially against a lineup that’s been putting up runs. If Pittsburgh cools down from the weekend and St. Louis keeps getting good bullpen help, this sets up well for the road team. A final score of 6-3 in favor of the Cardinals looks reasonable. St. Louis also holds a clear edge in starting pitching and recent trends.
Pick: Cardinals -1.5
