Matchup: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Date: Thursday, August 28, 2025
Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Broadcast: FanDuel Sports Network Midwest
Betting Odds: Pittsburgh (+162) St. Louis (-196)
The Pittsburgh Pirates (58-75) will head to Busch Stadium on Thursday for a clash with the St. Louis Cardinals (65-68). This matchup features the Pirates as underdogs at +162, while the Cardinals are favored at -196. The total runs line is set at 9. Starting pitchers will include Braxton Ashcraft for the Pirates and Miles Mikolas for the Cardinals.
Pittsburgh’s offense has recorded a slugging percentage of .353 and has struck out 1,151 times, earning 425 walks in the process. The team has tallied 464 RBIs and amassed 1,035 hits this season, with a batting average of .235. They have generated 197 doubles and hit 97 home runs, while scoring a total of 481 runs and maintaining a team on-base percentage of .306. Overall, the Pirates average 3.6 runs per game, positioning them 30th in the league.
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The Pirates currently hold a team ERA of 3.95, ranking 14th in the league, with their pitching staff accumulating 1,047 strikeouts. They have allowed 128 home runs and given up 547 runs in total (ranking 9th in MLB). Pittsburgh’s pitchers have issued 381 walks and their FIP sits at 3.89. Allowing 1,046 hits (8.0 per 9 innings) and 515 earned runs, their strikeout-to-walk ratio is 2.75, with a collective WHIP of 1.22.
This season, the Pirates have utilized 411 relievers. Out of 186 inherited runners, 37.1% have scored, leading to 28 saves from 49 opportunities. The bullpen has a save percentage of 57.1%, getting involved in 108 save situations while recording 57 holds (25th in MLB). The relief unit has faced runners on base 119 times, participating in 128 high-leverage situations.
This season, Pittsburgh has recorded 3,521 putouts, 1,099 assists, and 63 errors, resulting in a fielding percentage of .987, good for 14th in MLB and totaling 94 double plays. The Pirates have converted 70.9% of balls in play into outs over 10,563 innings, ranking 6th overall in baseball.
Ashcraft has pitched 46 innings in the majors, accumulating 43 strikeouts. With a 4-2 career record, his FIP stands at 2.69, having faced 193 batters. His ERA is 2.73, having allowed 14 earned runs and boasting a career WHIP of 1.190, with 41 hits allowed (8.0 hits per nine innings) and 14 walks.
The St. Louis Cardinals have hit 126 home runs this season and compiled 555 RBIs, with 220 doubles and 400 walks leading to 583 total runs. The team’s OBP is .317, with a batting average of .248. They have a team slugging percentage of .384 and score an average of 4.38 runs per game (ranked 16th in baseball). The Cardinals have struck out 1,050 times (23rd in the league), with 1,112 hits recorded.
This season, the St. Louis pitching staff has given up 619 runs, producing an ERA of 4.33 (565 earned runs). They have allowed 135 home runs and pitch at 4.75 runs per 9 innings (23rd in MLB). With a team WHIP of 1.308 and a FIP of 3.98, the staff has a K/BB ratio of 7.50 (981 strikeouts to 365 walks), ranking 27th in total hits allowed with 1,170.
The Cardinals’ bullpen has entered 50 save opportunities, successfully converting 32 for a save rate of 64.0%, ranking 11th in the league. This season, they have used 394 relief pitchers, with 123 appearances in high-leverage situations and 126 occasions with runners on base. St. Louis relievers allow 33.5% of inherited runners to score out of 176 inherited situations. The Cardinals have also achieved 74 holds but have experienced 18 blown saves.
Mikolas, carrying a career record of 70-74, has an ERA of 4.26, allowing 9.2 hits per nine innings. Holding a K/BB ratio of 3.65, he has faced 5,091 batters throughout his career. With a WHIP of 1.219 and a FIP of 4.2, he has surrendered 578 earned runs and 1,248 hits, recording 876 strikeouts in 1,221 innings pitched.
Which team will prevail in tonight’s MLB showdown against the spread or moneyline?
Josh Schonwald’s Prediction: Grab Pittsburgh (+162)
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