Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 5/19/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+145) St. Louis (-185)

Jack Flaherty and the St. Louis Cardinals (23-18, 1st in NL Central) host the Pittsburgh Pirates (17-23, 5th in NL Central) at Busch Stadium on Wednesday. The Pirates open this matchup at +145 while the Cardinals are priced at -185. The total opens at 7. The expected starting pitchers will be Trevor Cahill and Jack Flaherty.

As a squad, the Pittsburgh Pirates are putting up 3.5 runs per game, which has them sitting at 30th in baseball. They have 138 runs scored while holding a team OBP of .304. The Pirates have accumulated 68 two-baggers as a squad and have knocked 26 baseballs out of the park. They have amassed 130 runs batted in and 303 base knocks for the year, while their team batting average sits at .228. Pittsburgh has a slugging % of .347 and have been called out on strikes 346 times, while being walked on 128 occasions.

The Pirates have compiled a team earned run average of 4.32 on the year (21st in baseball), and the staff has struck out 343 batters. They have earned a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.50 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.27. Pirates pitchers have given up 43 home runs and 182 total runs (19th in the league). They have walked 137 opposing batters and their FIP comes in at 4.09 as a squad this season.

The Pirates have dispatched 141 relief pitchers to the mound this year. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 52 base runners so far this season and 26.9% of those players ended up crossing the plate. They have tallied 6 saves on the campaign and have blown 1 out of their 7 chances to get a save. The Pirates bullpen have recorded a save percentage of 85.7% and has come into the game in 29 save situations. The relievers have a total of 20 holds so far this year (15th in MLB). Pirates bullpen pitchers have entered the game with runners on base 34 times and also have had 35 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have accumulated 1,044 putouts for the season, in addition to 378 assists and 26 errors. Their fielding percentage is currently at .982 which ranks 21st in the majors, and have accumulated 288 double plays. The Pirates have transformed 70.1% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 3,132 innings, which has them sitting 13th in professional baseball.

Cahill has thrown 1,505 frames and has totaled 1,146 punch outs in his career. Cahill (86-98 mark in his career) has a FIP of 4.39 and he has gone up against 6,445 hitters during his time in the major leagues. His ERA is 4.24 (709 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.365. He has surrendered 1,445 hits (8.6 hits per nine innings) and has had 610 walks.

The St. Louis Cardinals have an OBP of .305 in addition to a team batting average of .231 on the campaign. They have been called out on strikes on 343 instances (21st in baseball) and have 310 hits. St. Louis has accumulated 53 HRs this year as well as 167 runs batted in. The Cardinals have a team slugging percentage of .399 and they average 4.39 runs per contest (14th in the league). They have recorded 56 two-baggers, while getting a free base 124 times and scoring 180 runs.

The Cardinals hold a team WHIP of 1.324 and have a FIP of 4.08 as a staff on the year. They are sitting at 8th in baseball as a staff in total hits relinquished with 290. The St. Louis pitching staff have conceded 166 runs on the campaign while having an ERA of 3.87 (154 earned runs surrendered). Their K/BB ratio is 1.78 (328 strikeouts vs 184 free passes). They have surrendered 28 homers and they allow 4.17 runs per 9 innings (14th in the league).

St. Louis has had relief pitchers enter the contest in 15 save chances and they have walked away with 13 saves. They are currently ranked 2nd in the league holding a save percentage of 86.7%, and they have dispatched 135 bullpen pitchers onto the field on the season. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 31 times in high leverage situations and on 40 occasions with runners on base. St. Louis relievers have an inherited score percentage of 41.3% out of their 75 inherited base runners. Sitting with 36 save situations, the Cardinals have earned 20 holds in addition to 2 blown saves.

In their 3,222 innings played, the Cardinals have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 71.8% (5th in pro baseball). The St. Louis Cardinals have turned 32 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .985 (11th in professional baseball). The Cardinals have 340 assists, 22 errors and have 1,074 putouts this season.

In his MLB career, Flaherty has surrendered 331 hits while earning 530 strikeouts in 456 innings pitched. He has conceded 166 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.061 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.7. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.46 and he has faced 1,838 hitters thus far in his career. Flaherty (30-22 career mark) has earned a 3.27 earned run average while allowing 6.5 hits per nine innings.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take St. Louis (-185)

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