Cardinals vs. Pirates Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/20/2022

Paul Goldschmidt (12 games) will look to add to his hitting streak when the St. Louis Cardinals (20-18) and Pittsburgh Pirates (16-21) meet Friday at 6:35 PM ET, live from PNC Park. Goldschmidt and the Cardinals are favored by sportsbooks with -151 odds on the moneyline. Adam Wainwright starts for St. Louis while Zach Thompson is Pittsburgh’s starter for the contest.

Cardinals vs. Pirates Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Cardinals vs. Pirates

Our computer pick: Pittsburgh Pirates (+130) and Over (8)

Cardinals vs. Pirates Game Info

• St. Louis Cardinals probable starting pitcher: Adam Wainwright
• Pittsburgh Pirates probable starting pitcher: Zach Thompson
• Game Day: Friday, May 20, 2022
• Game Time: 6:35 PM ET
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Stadium: PNC Park

St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Pitching Matchup

Cardinals Starter Adam Wainwright

• The Cardinals are sending Wainwright (4-3) out to make his eighth start of the season. He is 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched.
• In his most recent time out on Sunday, the right-hander went six innings against the San Francisco Giants, giving up two earned runs while surrendering three hits.
• The 40-year-old has amassed an ERA of 3.15, with 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings, in seven games this season. Opponents have a .231 batting average against him.
• Wainwright is trying to build on a third-game quality start streak in this game.
• Wainwright is aiming for his sixth straight appearance lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.2 innings per appearance on the mound.
• The opposing Pirates offense has the 28th-ranked slugging percentage (.347) and ranks 25th in MLB play with 28 home runs. It has a collective .224 batting average, and is 26th in MLB with 269 total hits and 29th in MLB action scoring 122 runs.
• Wainwright has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.833 WHIP against the Pirates this season in six innings pitched, allowing a .238 batting average over one appearance.
• The 40-year-old ranks 27th in ERA (3.15), 41st in WHIP (1.225), and 39th in K/9 (7.4) among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season.

Pirates Starter Zach Thompson

• Thompson (2-3) will take the mound for the Pirates, his seventh start of the season.
• The right-hander last pitched on Saturday, when he allowed one hit in six scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds.
• The 28-year-old has an ERA of 5.47 and 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings with an opponent batting average of .252 in seven games this season.
• He has earned a quality start one time in six starts this season.
• Thompson will look to pitch five or more innings for the third start in a row.
• The Cardinals have scored 172 runs this season, which ranks ninth in MLB. They have 319 hits, sixth in baseball, with 36 home runs (17th in the league).

Cardinals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Cardinals have been favorites in 18 games this season and won 10 (55.6%) of those contests.
• This season, St. Louis has won seven of its 13 games, or 53.8%, when favored by at least -151 on the moneyline.
• The Cardinals have a 60.2% chance to win this game based on the implied probability of the moneyline.
• St. Louis and its opponents have hit the over in 19 of their 39 games with a total this season.
• The Cardinals are 21-17-0 against the spread this season.

Pirates Betting Picks & Insights

• The Pirates have won in 12, or 41.4%, of the 29 contests they have been named as odds-on underdogs in this year.
• This season, Pittsburgh has come away with a win eight times in 22 chances when named as an underdog of at least +130 or longer on the moneyline.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Pirates have a 43.5% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest.
• Pittsburgh and their opponents have hit the over in 15 of their 37 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
• The Pirates are 18-19-0 against the spread in their 37 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.

Cardinals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Goldschmidt’s .329 average leads the Cardinals this year. His resume also includes six homers and driven in 27 RBI.
• Goldschmidt ranks 39th in home runs and 10th in RBI among all batters in baseball.
• Goldschmidt carries a 12-game hitting streak into this matchup. In his last 10 outings he is batting .439 with seven doubles, four home runs, a walk and 16 RBI.
• Nolan Arenado’s nine home runs and 31 RBI both pace his team.
• Arenado is ninth in homers and fourth in RBI on the season.
• Tommy Edman is batting .269 with four doubles, three triples, four home runs and 18 walks.
• Harrison Bader has four doubles, three home runs and nine walks while hitting .240.
• Bader takes a two-game streak with at least one hit into this one. In his last five games he is hitting .278 with .

Pirates Leaders & Batting Stats

• Ben Gamel has driven in a team-best 15 runs batted in.
• Gamel is 117th in homers and 101st in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes is batting .289 to lead the lineup.
• Hayes is 318th in home runs and 204th in RBI among all hitters in the big leagues.
• Daniel Vogelbach has six home runs, tops in the clubhouse.
• Bryan Reynolds is hitting .214 with three doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 walks.

Betting Tips for Cardinals vs. Pirates

We have the Pirates on the moneyline at +130 on the moneyline as our best bet in this game after analyzing all of the key trends and stats for this matchup. Our computer prediction sees the scoring going over the total of 8 runs.