The St. Louis Cardinals (81-57) take one of the highest-scoring lineups in MLB on the road to face the Pittsburgh Pirates (50-86) at PNC Park on Friday to open a three-game series. The Cardinals just wrapped up a productive seven-game homestand (5-2). They split their last series against the Nationals, dropping the finale 11-6 on Thursday at Busch Stadium. Brendan Donovan was 3 for 3 with a double and two runs. Yadier Molina added two home runs and three RBIs. The Pirates are kicking off the final series of their nine-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Mets in their last series, dropping both games of a series-ending doubleheader at PNC Park on Wednesday. They followed up a 5-1 loss in the opener with a 10-0 defeat in the finale. Bryan Reynolds went 2 for 3 in the second leg. Greg Allen went 1 for 1.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Cardinals have won eight of 10 in the season series between the NL Central rivals, although they dropped a close one 6-4 in their last meeting on June 15 at Busch Stadium. Reliever Wil Crowe was credited with the win after throwing two scoreless innings, and David Bednar pitched 2.2 scoreless innings to pick up his 11th save.
ON THE MOUND
Miles Mikolas (11-10, 3.32 ERA) is set to take the mound for St. Louis. The RHP threw eight scoreless innings in his last start, a 2-0 home win over the Cubs on Sunday. He was credited with the win, scattering two hits while striking out three and walking one. Over two previous starts against the Pirates this season, Mikolas has allowed only two earned runs over 12.1 innings (1-0, 1.46). He has struck out seven and walked three. RHP Roansy Contreras (4-4, 3.57 ERA) is on the mound for Pittsburgh. He has made two appearances against the Cardinals this season, including one start, giving up six runs (5 ER) over six innings (0-0, 7.50) with two strikeouts and five walks. In his last start on Saturday, Contreras took a no-decision at home against the Blue Jays. He threw six innings and gave up one run on four hits, striking out five and walking two in the 4-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The St. Louis offense is averaging 4.9 runs per game for the season, third best in MLB, with a slash line of .257/.329/.429. Paul Goldschmidt leads the team in OPS at 1.033. The first baseman is slashing .329/.417/.616 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 99 runs over 131 games. Over the last five games, though, St. Louis has averaged only 3.6 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.228/.273/.395). Against right-handed pitchers like Contreras this season, the Cards have a .738 OPS. Goldschmidt also is the team’s strongest performer against right-handers with a .939 OPS in 384 at-bats. Pittsburgh is slashing .219/.286/.359 for the season and averaging 3.5 runs per game, third lowest in MLB. Reynolds leads the team with a .781 OPS. The center fielder has 21 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 59 runs scored with a slash line of .255/.335/.446. The Bucs have a .641 OPS against right-handers in 2022, third lowest in MLB. With a .799 OPS over 317 at-bats, Reynolds also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
St. Louis is 34-33 on the road in 2022, scoring 4.9 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Pittsburgh has gone 27-41 at their home park this season, averaging 3.7 runs per game while surrendering 5.3. In the last 10 games at PNC Park between the teams, St. Louis is 8-2 with an average scoreline of 7.0-3.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by nine games over the Brewers. The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 30 games behind the Cardinals.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
St.Louis Cardinals (-200)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
