St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction 4/8/25 MLB Picks

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 4-7 on the year and play the Reds, Nationals, and Guardians next. The Pittsburgh Pirates are batting .207 on the season, have a .294 OBP, and a .315 slugging percentage. The Pittsburgh Pirates' pitching staff has a 4.89 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Isiah Kiner-Falefa leads the Pittsburgh Pirates with 12 hits and 4 RBI, while Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds have combined for 18 hits and 10 RBI.

Paul Skenes gets the ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he is 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA and 13 strikeouts this season. Skenes is 0-2 with a 1.31 ERA and 23 strikeouts in his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win

• The Pirates have won each of their last five games at PNC Park against teams that held a losing record.
• The Cardinals have lost each of their last five road games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in six of their last seven road games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in four of their last five games at PNC Park against teams that held a losing record.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last four games.
• The Cardinals have lost the first inning in three of their last four road games against opponents that held a losing record.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 3 innings in six of their last seven road games against NL Central opponents that held a losing record.

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Cardinals have won seven of their last eight games as road underdogs against National League opponents following a road loss.
• The Pirates have lost five of their last six games as home favorites against the Cardinals following a win.
• The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the last seven games between the Cardinals and Pirates at PNC Park.
• The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games as favorites against NL Central opponents following a home win.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction

The Cardinals are the better team; getting them in the underdog role has value. Gray is also a solid starting pitcher, so there’s value there. The problem is that we’re not getting enough bang for our buck to fade a pitcher like Skenes. As bad as the Pirates are as a team, Skenes is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and you just don’t bet against aces and cheap prices or plus money. Skenes is holding current Cardinals hitters to a .214 batting average with 13 strikeouts in 56 at-bats. Give me the Pirates.