The St. Louis Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 29, 2026. First pitch from Busch Stadium is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on SportsNet PT.
The Cardinals are favored by -119 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Pirates are +111 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8 runs.
Find our MLB picks and Pirates vs Cardinals prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction
- Pirates vs Cardinals Pick: Kyle Leahy Over 3.5 Strikeouts
Our Pirates vs Cardinals best bet is on Kyle Leahy to record over 3.5 strikeouts. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Pirates vs Cardinals Odds
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -205 | 8 -116o / -104u | +111 |
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +168 | 8 -116o / -104u | -119 |
- Pirates vs Cardinals moneyline: Pirates +111, Cardinals -119
- Pirates vs Cardinals over/under: 8 (-116o / -104u)
- Pirates vs Cardinals spread: Cardinals -1.5 (+168), Pirates +1.5 (-205)
Pirates vs Cardinals Probable Pitchers
| Lake Bachar (RHP, PIT) | Stat | Kyle Leahy (RHP, STL) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | W-L | 10-4 |
| 0.2 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 2.4 |
| 3.70/3.65 | ERA / xERA | 3.13/4.84 |
| 4.56/4.26 | FIP / xFIP | 3.49/3.69 |
| 15.0% | K-BB% | 14.7% |
| 37.4% | GB% | 45.8% |
| .218 | BABIP | .318 |
| 97 | Stuff+ | 92 |
| 97 | Location+ | 105 |
Pirates vs Cardinals MLB Betting Preview
The Cardinals grabbed the upper hand in this series after picking up a 4-1 victory in Friday's opener, backed by a dominant showing on the bump from Quinn Mathews.
St. Louis heads into Saturday's game sitting right around the .500 mark at 68-68, while Pittsburgh aims to regroup and level the series.
Pittsburgh sends Lake Bachar (1-3) to the mound against St. Louis starter Kyle Leahy (10-4). When Bachar takes the rubber, the Pirates have proven reliable for bettors, covering the spread in four of his six starts this season. Additionally, Pittsburgh won the only contest where Bachar was tagged as the favorite.
On the flip side, the Cardinals sport an 11-12 mark against the spread with Leahy starting, and they have struggled to a 6-9 outright record across the 15 outings where Leahy was listed as a moneyline underdog.
From a matchup standpoint, Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz could present headaches for the Cardinals' right-hander, as Cruz has gone 2-for-6 with a home run and a 1.262 OPS in his career against Leahy.
Pirates vs Cardinals Pick, Betting Analysis
Action PRO projects Kyle Leahy to rack up 5.39 strikeouts against the Pittsburgh lineup. That projection offers a solid 17.8% edge over his posted prop line of 3.5, making the Over 3.5 Strikeouts an A+ grade value in the system models.
Leahy enters this outing looking to put the finishing touches on a stellar month of August, having gone 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA across four starts.
The data strongly backs the over here, as Leahy's recent form on the mound shows consistent swing-and-miss ability—he has cleared the 3.5 strikeout threshold in five of his last six starts.
Pick: Kyle Leahy Over 3.5 Strikeouts
