The St. Louis Cardinals (90-66), one of the best lineups in baseball, are set to host the Pittsburgh Pirates (59-97) at Busch Stadium on Friday to open a three-game series. The Pirates are heading on the road after a seven-game homestand (4-3). They are coming off a three-game sweep of the Reds, taking the finale 4-3 on Wednesday at PNC Park. Miguel Andujar was 2 for 4 with a double and one RBI. The Cardinals just wrapped up an eight-game road trip (3-5). They split their last series against the Brewers, dropping the finale 5-1 on Wednesday at American Family Field. Andrew Knizner went 2 for 4 with a solo home run.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Cardinals have won 10 of 13 in the season series between the NL Central rivals, including a 4-3 victory in their most recent meeting on September 11 at PNC Park. Chris Stratton threw 0.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to get the win, and Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth to pick up his 16th save.
ON THE MOUND
Johan Oviedo (4-2, 3.13 ERA) is set to take the mound for Pittsburgh. The right-hander threw seven scoreless innings in his last start, a 6-0 road win over the Cubs on Saturday. He got the win, giving up three hits while striking out seven. RHP Jack Flaherty (1-1, 4.66 ERA) will toe the rubber for St. Louis. He has made two appearances against the Pirates this season, both starts, giving up seven runs (6 ER) over eight innings (0-0, 6.75) with three strikeouts and six walks. In his last start on September 22, Flaherty got the win on the road against the Padres. He threw six innings and gave up three runs on five hits, striking out nine and walking four in the 5-4 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
The Pittsburgh offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, fourth lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .221/.289/.364. Bryan Reynolds leads the team in OPS at .805. The center fielder is slashing .262/.345/.460 with 26 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 72 runs over 140 games. Over the last five games, though, Pittsburgh has averaged 5.0 runs a game thanks in part to improved on-base performance (.333). Against right-handed pitchers like Flaherty this season, the Bucs have a .654 OPS, third lowest in MLB. Reynolds also is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .820 OPS in 374 at-bats. St. Louis is slashing .252/.325/.422 for the season and averaging 4.7 runs per game, fifth best in MLB. Paul Goldschmidt leads the team with a .988 OPS. The first baseman has 35 home runs, 114 RBIs, and 103 runs scored with a slash line of .318/.404/.584. The Cards have a .728 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .899 OPS over 438 at-bats, Goldschmidt also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Pittsburgh is on a six-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 27-51 in 2022. The Bucs have scored 3.4 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.9 runs. St. Louis has gone 51-27 at home this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.5. In the last 10 meetings at Busch Stadium, St. Louis is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.9-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cardinals lead the NL Central by six games over the Brewers. Their magic number in the division is one. The Pirates are fifth in the NL Central, 31 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.
