Free MLB Picks Today: Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals 6/3/23

The Pittsburgh Pirates (29-27) host the St. Louis Cardinals (25-33) at PNC Park on Saturday. The Pirates took Friday’s series opener 7-5, their third head-to-head victory in five games this season.

Yohan Ramirez threw 0.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to get the win, and David Bednar picked up his 11th save with a scoreless ninth.

Ke’Bryan Hayes went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double in the win. He drove in four runs. Carlos Santana also went 3 for 4 with a double, one run, and two RBIs.

Nolan Arenado was 3 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs for the Cardinals. Paul Goldschmidt went 3 for 4 with a double and one run.

ON THE MOUND

Jordan Montgomery (2-6, 4.48 ERA) is set to take the mound for St. Louis. The southpaw allowed two runs over five innings in his last start, a 4-3 road defeat against the Guardians on Sunday.

He gave up seven hits while striking out three and walking one in the no-decision. Montgomery has made one previous start against the Pirates this season, a 5-0 home loss on April 13.

He surrendered two runs on six hits over 6.1 innings, striking out five and walking two. For Pittsburgh, right-hander Luis Ortiz (1-2, 4.35 ERA) gets the ball.

It’s his first appearance of the season against the Cardinals. Ortiz made one start against the Cardinals in 2022, throwing 0.2 innings in a 13-3 road defeat on October 1.

He gave up three hits and walked three in the loss.In his last start on Sunday, Ortiz took a no-decision on the road against the Mariners. He threw five innings and gave up three runs on five hits, striking out six and walking four in the 6-3 loss.

AT THE PLATE

Over the last five games, St. Louis has averaged only 2.4 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.8, while performing worse across the board (.185/.250/.333). Against right-handed pitchers like Ortiz this season, the Cards have a .747 OPS.

Goldschmidt is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .944 OPS in 162 at-bats. Pittsburgh is averaging 5.0 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.4 for the season.

The Bucs have a .754 OPS against left-handers in 2023. With a 1.147 OPS over 58 at-bats, Rodolfo Castro has been their best hitter against left-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

St. Louis is 13-17 away from Busch Stadium in 2023, scoring 4.1 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Pittsburgh has gone 13-13 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 4.8. In the last 10 games between the NL Central rivals at PNC Park, St. Louis is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 5.9-4.9.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Cardinals are fifth in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Pirates are second in the NL Central, zero games behind the Brewers.