Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction 5/20/2026 Today’s MLB Picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals meet Wednesday in MLB action at Busch Stadium. Here’s a Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction. This article will include a Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Pick.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 24-24 on the year and play the Blue Jays and Cubs next. The Pittsburgh Pirates are batting .250 on the season and have a .334 OBP, and a .386 slugging percentage. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching staff has a 3.97 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Oneil Cruz leads the Pittsburgh Pirates with 51 hits and 33 RBIs, while Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales have combined for 95 hits and 48 RBIs.

Carmen Mlodzinski gets the ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he is 3-3 with a 4.40 ERA and 43 strikeouts this season. Mlodzinski is 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA and 24 strikeouts in his career against the St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals are 28-19 on the year and play the Reds and Brewers next. The St. Louis Cardinals are batting .242 on the season and have a .323 OBP, and a .393 slugging percentage. The St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff has a 4.15 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Jordan Walker leads the St. Louis Cardinals with 53 hits and 34 RBI while Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera have combined for 97 hits and 57 RBI.

Michael McGreevy gets the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he is 3-2 with a 2.10 ERA and 36 strikeouts this season. McGreevy is 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts in his career against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Why the St. Louis Cardinals will win

• The Cardinals have won each of their last six games against the Pirates.
• The Pirates have lost eight of their last nine games against the Cardinals following a loss.
• The Cardinals have covered the run line in each of their last eight night games against NL Central opponents.
• The Pirates have failed to cover the run line in each of their last five games against the Cardinals following a loss.
• The Pirates have trailed after 3 innings in three of their last four night games against NL Central opponents.

Why the Pittsburgh Pirates will win

• The Cardinals have lost each of their last six home games against NL Central opponents following a home win.
• The Pirates have won each of their last six Wednesday night games as underdogs against National League opponents.
• The Cardinals have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 12 games as home favorites against National League opponents following a home win.
• The Pirates have covered the run line in nine of their last 10 games against National League opponents following an extra innings loss.
• The Cardinals have trailed after 5 innings in three of their last four home games against National League opponents.

Total Runs Facts

• Eight of the Cardinals’ last nine games following an extra innings win have gone UNDER the total runs line.
• Each of the Pirates’ last four night games against NL Central opponents has gone OVER the total runs line.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in nine of the Pirates’ last 10 games as road underdogs against NL Central opponents.
• The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Cardinals’ last four night games at Busch Stadium.

St. Louis Cardinals Player Prop Facts

• Alec Burleson has hit a home run in three of the Cardinals’ last seven games as home favorites against the Pirates.
• Nolan Gorman has recorded at least one hit in each of his last six appearances.
• Jordan Walker ranks 9th amongst qualified players for Slugging Percentage (.576) this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Player Prop Facts

• Brandon Lowe has hit a home run in three of his last six appearances against the Cardinals after playing the previous day.
• Brandon Lowe has recorded at least one hit in each of his last six appearances against the Cardinals after playing the previous day.
• Oneil Cruz ranks 3rd in the league in Steals (16) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Cardinals rank 7th in the league for strikeouts against this season (382).
• The Cardinals rank 24th in the league for opponent batting average this season (.253).
• The Pirates rank 5th in the league for batting average this season (.250).
• The Pirates rank 5th in the league for on-base percentage this season (.334).

Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction

The Pirates are having a rough week and aren’t a team I’m excited to back right now. The Cardinals keep winning but it feels like oddsmakers don’t believe it. The Cardinals have the edge here as well with McGreevy on the mound, as he has a 2.10 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through 51.1 innings. In his last 18 innings, McGreevy has allowed 9 hits and 1 run. In 23 home innings, McGreevy has a 1.17 ERA and a .156 allowed batting average. He looks like an all-star. I’m going to keep backing the Cards at these cheap prices until it stops working.

Randy Chambers's Pick: St. Louis Cardinals