Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, Picks and Preview – August 13, 2015

The St. Louis Cardinals (73-40) are doing a good job of staving off the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-46) atop the National League Central standings. That said, the Pirates remain a threat that still has a shot at displacing St Louis as the division’s No. 1 team.

Read on for a detailed preview of this game. You can also click here for an overview of Tuesday’s matchup between the Angels and the Royals.
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Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Preview

Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis

When: Thursday, August 13, 2015, 7:15 PM ET

Line:  Pittsburgh Pirates (+105) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (-115); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
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Betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates

[sc:MLB240banner ]Francisco Liriano (7-6, 3.13 ERA) was simply not in his best form in Pittsburgh’s 6-5 win against the Dodgers on Saturday, as he gave up four earned runs on seven hits in just three innings. That said, it would take more than one poor outing from Liriano before the Pirates sound the alarm on the pitcher.

Over his last seven starts, Liriano has a 3-0 record and a 2.85 ERA across 41 innings. The Pirates are also 7-0 during that stretch, and they will look to extend that streak in tonight’s series finale against St. Louis.

As for the Pirates’ offense, it will be led by the pair of Starling Marte and Neil Walker, two of the team’s best weapons against Cards’ hurler, Lance Lynn. Marte, who has batted 3-for-9  over his last three games, is a career .381 (8-for-21) hitter against Lynn. Walker, meanwhile, is 13-for 37 (.351) in the same matchup. The Pirates scored five runs off Lynn in their most recent meeting, a 5-2 win at home on July 10.

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Betting on the St. Louis Cardinals

Probably annoyed with the fact that he got beat at home by the lowly Rockies in a prior start, Lance Lynn (9-6, 2.76 ERA) brought the hammer down hard in his succeeding start versus Milwaukee. Against the Brewers on the road, Lynn pitched six scoreless innings, giving up six hits and striking out seven in a 6-0 win. He did issue four walks, which is something he’ll have to improve on against the Pirates later tonight.

The loss to Colorado was only Lynn’s second in pitcher-friendly Busch Stadium. Thus far this season, Lynn is 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA and .224 opponents’ batting average in 11 home starts. As mentioned, Lynn struggled against the Bucs on the road the last time he pitched against them. This time, he gets the Pirates at home, where he dominated Pittsburgh in a 2-1 win back in May 1. Lynn didn’t earn a decision in that game, though, with the Cards unable to find their offense while he was still on the mound.

A red-hot Stephen Piscotty could be tonight’s star at the plate for St. Louis. The 24-year-old left fielder is batting .348 (8-for-23) over his last six games. Matt Carpenter, on the other hand, is 7-for-22 (.318) during the same stretch. Worth noting, too, is Jhonny Peralta’s apparent familiarity of Liriano’s stuff. The shortstop is 17-for-51 (.333) with four homers and eight RBIs off the Pirates’ lefty.

The Cards are 7-3 in Lynn’s last 10 home starts. Toronto wins, 7-5.

Writer’s Prediction

Pittsburgh (+105) wins, 4-2.
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