Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 9/1/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Friday, September 1, 2023

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+120) St. Louis (-142)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (61-73) are headed to Busch Stadium on Friday where they will compete against the St. Louis Cardinals (58-76). The odds on this game have Pittsburgh at +120 and St. Louis is at -142. The betting total comes in at 9. The pitchers taking the mound will be Mitch Keller and Dakota Hudson.

The Pirates have tallied 236 doubles as a team and have hit 131 balls out of the park. Pittsburgh is slugging .388 and have struck out 1,191 times, while being walked on 473 occasions. As a squad, the Pittsburgh Pirates are putting up 4.2 runs per contest, which puts them at 24th in the league. They have recorded 538 RBI's in addition to 1,044 base knocks for the year, and their team batting average is sitting at .235. They have tallied 562 runs and have an OBP of .314.

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The Pirates have compiled a team ERA of 4.53 for the season (21st in MLB), and their staff has rung up 1,142 hitters. Pirates pitchers have given up 143 home runs and 647 runs (20th in MLB). They have walked 486 opposing hitters and their FIP sits at 4.31 as a team on the campaign. Pittsburgh has relinquished 1,149 base knocks (8.7 per 9 innings) and also 595 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.35 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.38.

The Pirates relief pitchers have recorded a save percentage of 70.6% and has stepped onto the mound in 121 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 196 base runners over the course of the season and 32.7% of them crossed home plate. Pirates bullpen pitchers have come into the game with runners on base 133 times and also have had 132 appearances in high leverage situations. The Pirates have dispatched 425 relievers to the mound so far this season. The bullpen have racked up 67 holds this season (19th in MLB). They have accumulated 36 saves so far this year and have missed out on 15 of 51 save opportunities.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have notched a total of 3,494 putouts so far this season, as well as 1,107 assists and 76 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .984 which ranks 25th in the majors, and they have twisted 110 double plays. The Pirates have transformed 68.1% of balls in play into outs out of their 10,482 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting at 24th in baseball.

Keller (23-37 career win-loss record) sits with a FIP of 3.95 while going up against 2,165 opposing batters during his time in the majors. He has given up 530 base knocks (9.7 hits per 9 innings) and has had 191 walks. His ERA is 4.67 (256 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.462. Keller has taken the ball for 493 frames and has earned 490 K's so far in his MLB career.

The Cardinals have a team SLG% of .426 and they earn 4.49 runs per contest (17th in the league). They have recorded 224 two-baggers, while getting a free base 456 times as well as scoring 601 runs. St. Louis has accounted for 181 home runs for the season to go along with 582 runs batted in. They have struck out on 1,114 instances (18th in the league) and have notched a total of 1,161 hits. The St. Louis Cardinals hold an on-base percentage of .328 and a team batting average of .254 so far this season.

The St. Louis pitching staff have yielded 677 runs over the course of the season while having a team ERA of 4.71 (617 earned runs given up). They have given up 136 home runs and they concede 5.16 runs per 9 innings (24th in the league). The Cardinals have a team WHIP of 1.450 in addition to having a FIP of 4.25 as a staff on the campaign. They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 7.90 (1,031 strikeouts vs 430 walks). They have a ranking of 29th in MLB as a pitching staff in total hits allowed with 1,281.

Sitting with 121 save situations, the Cardinals have compiled 67 holds and also 25 blown saves. St. Louis has called on relievers to enter the contest in 53 save opportunities and they have converted 28 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 134 times in high leverage situations in addition to 143 occasions with runners on. St. Louis bullpen pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 30.6% of 229 inherited runners. They rank 25th in the league holding a save rate of 52.8%, and they have sent 391 relievers onto the diamond this year.

In their 10,452 innings played, the Cardinals are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 66.6% (30th in the majors). The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 117 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .989 (4th in baseball). The Cardinals have 1,277 assists, 54 errors and have accounted for 3,484 putouts on the season.

During his MLB career, Hudson has allowed 400 hits while accumulating 303 strikeouts in 438 innings. He has surrendered a total of 180 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.369 and a FIP of 4.6. His K/BB ratio is 1.52 and he has faced 1,867 hitters during his career. Hudson (37-18 career record) holds a 3.70 earned run average and has conceded 8.2 hits per nine innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take St. Louis (-142)

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