Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 5/18/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+135) St. Louis (-145)

JT Brubaker and the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-23, 5th in NL Central) head to Busch Stadium on Tuesday where they'll take on the St. Louis Cardinals (23-18, 1st in NL Central). The Cardinals open this game at -145 while the Pirates are coming in at +135. The over/under has been set at 7.5. The pitchers who are expected to start are JT Brubaker and John Gant.

The Pirates have tallied 68 two-baggers as a team and have hit 26 balls out of the stadium. Pittsburgh has a slugging rate of .347 and have been called out on strikes 346 times, while drawing a walk on 128 occasions. As a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates are knocking in 3.5 runs per outing, which ranks them 30th in the league. They have tallied 130 RBI's and 303 hits this year, while their batting average sits at .228. They have accumulated 138 runs scored and hold an on-base percentage of .304.

The Pirates hold a team earned run average of 4.32 on the season (20th in the league), and the staff has rung up 343 batters. They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 2.50 and the pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.27. Pirates pitchers have given up 43 home runs in addition to 182 runs in total (19th in baseball). They have walked 137 opposing players and their FIP sits at 4.09 as a squad on the campaign.

The Pirates relievers have a save percentage of 85.7% and has entered the game in 29 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 52 base runners on the season and 26.9% of those players crossed the plate. Pirates relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill with opponents on base 34 times and also have had 35 appearances in high leverage situations. The Pirates have dispatched 141 relief pitchers to the mound so far this season. The bullpen have earned 20 holds on the year (15th in MLB). They have compiled 6 saves for the season and have not converted 1 out of their 7 chances to get a save.

The Pirates have converted 70.1% of balls in play into outs out of 3,132 innings on the field, which has them sitting at 13th in pro baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a tally of 1,044 putouts for the season, in addition to 378 assists and 26 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .982 which has them ranked 20th in baseball, and have 288 double plays.

Brubaker (4-5 career win-loss record) sits with a FIP of 4.10 while he has gone up against 366 batters during his time in the major leagues. He has surrendered 82 hits (8.6 hits per 9 innings) and has 26 free passes. His earned run average is 3.89 (37 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.261. Brubaker has taken the ball for 85 innings and has accumulated 89 K's in his MLB career.

The St. Louis Cardinals have tallied a team OBP of .305 and a batting average of .231 on the campaign. They have been called out on strikes on 343 instances (19th in baseball) and have a total of 310 hits. St. Louis has compiled 53 home runs this year as well as 167 RBIs. The Cardinals have a team slugging percentage of .399 and they are recording 4.39 runs per outing (14th in the league). They have notched 56 doubles, while taking a walk 124 times as well as scoring 180 runs.

The Cardinals have a WHIP of 1.324 and have a FIP of 4.08 as a staff this season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 1.78 (328 strikeouts vs 184 walks). They come in at 10th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits conceded with 290. They have yielded 28 HR's and they concede 4.17 runs per 9 innings (14th in baseball). The St. Louis pitching staff have surrendered 166 runs on the year while holding a team ERA of 3.87 (154 earned runs relinquished).

St. Louis has called on relievers to enter the contest in 15 save chances and they have earned 13 saves. They sit at 2nd in the league holding a save rate of 86.7%, and they have sent 135 relief pitchers to the mound on the season. Their relievers have taken the field 31 times in high leverage situations and on 40 occasions with runners on. St. Louis relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 41.3% of 75 inherited base runners. Sitting with 36 save situations, the Cardinals have earned 20 holds and 2 blown saves.

The St. Louis Cardinals have twisted 32 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .985 (10th in MLB). The Cardinals have accrued 340 assists, 22 errors and have notched a total of 1,074 putouts for the year. In 3,222 innings on the field, the Cardinals hold a defensive efficiency of 71.8% (5th in the majors).

So far in his career, Gant has surrendered 251 base knocks and he has 262 punch outs in 297 frames. Gant (21-18 record in his career) holds a 3.58 ERA while allowing 7.6 hits per 9 innings. He has surrendered 118 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.370 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.1. He has a K/BB ratio of 1.68 and he has faced 1,270 batters so far in his pro baseball career.

Who will win tonight's baseball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take St. Louis (-145)

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