The Pittsburgh Pirates host the St. Louis Cardinals on April 27, 2026. First pitch from PNC Park is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on CARD.
The Pirates are favored by -135 on the moneyline and by -1.5 on the run line. The Cardinals are +115 on the moneyline and +1.5 on the run line. The total is set at 8 runs.
Find my MLB picks and Cardinals vs Pirates prediction below, as well as probable pitchers, weather report, and more.
Cardinals vs Pirates Prediction
- Cardinals vs Pirates Pick: Pirates -130 (Play to -135)
My Cardinals vs Pirates best bet is the Pittsburgh moneyline. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cardinals vs Pirates Odds
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -185 | 8 -115o / -105u | +115 |
| Pirates Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +155 | 8 -115o / -105u | -135 |
- Cardinals vs Pirates moneyline: Cardinals +115, Pirates -135
- Cardinals vs Pirates over/under: 8 (-115o / -105u)
- Cardinals vs Pirates spread: Cardinals +1.5 (-185), Pirates -1.5 (+155)
Cardinals vs Pirates Probable Pitchers
| RHP Dustin May (STL) | Stat | LHP Mason Montgomery (PIT) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-2 | W-L | 1-0 |
| 0.4 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.3 |
| 5.84/4.35 | ERA / xERA | 3.97/3.56 |
| 3.94/4.05 | FIP / xFIP | 2.16/2.28 |
| 14.2% | K-BB% | 29.4% |
| 39.7% | GB% | 37.5% |
| .395 | BABIP | .435 |
| 104 | Stuff+ | 113 |
| 101 | Location+ | 104 |
Cardinals vs Pirates MLB Betting Preview
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Preview: May Looking to Find His Footing
Despite currently being a game above .500, St. Louis sits at the bottom of the NL Central standings, as every team in baseball’s best division currently has a winning record. The Cardinals are on a four-game losing streak right now and look towards Dustin May to stop the skid.
May was a top prospect with the Dodgers, but he has bounced around and battled injuries for the majority of his career. He was traded to the Red Sox during last season but played just six games in Boston. He signed with the Cardinals this offseason and has a 5.84 ERA through his first five starts.
The first two outings for May this year were a disaster. He allowed 13 runs in his first two outings but has really settled down since. May has surrendered just one earned run in each of his last three starts. He doesn’t walk many guys, but his strikeout numbers continue to drop.
Projected to be towards the bottom of the league offensively, the Cardinals have surprised early with more of a power punch than expected. They sit eighth in the league in home runs. Their team average and OPS rank closer to league average, but even that is better than anticipated.
The story in St. Louis through the first month has been the much-anticipated breakout of Jordan Walker. He has started the season with a .926 OPS and eight home runs and has one of the highest barrel rates in the league.
Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Preview: Will the Offense Rise to the Challenge?
Pittsburgh has started the season four games over .500 as they look for their first winning season since 2018. Despite being primarily used as a reliever for the last three seasons, Mason Montgomery will make his second career start as an opener on Monday. In two seasons with Tampa Bay, Montgomery made 66 appearances out of the bullpen before being traded to the Pirates this offseason, along with Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum.
Montgomery has already made 12 appearances this season for the Buccos, including his first career start on April 15 as an opener. Even in that start, he only tossed one inning before giving way to Carmen Mlodzinski. In this one, we will likely see right-hander Wilber Dotel come on and handle a bulk of the bullpen game.
The big question for the Pirates has been whether they will get enough offense to support their excellent pitching staff. If they can just score at a league-average level, they will compete for a playoff spot with how well they pitch. So far this season, the Buccos are eighth in the league in scoring and have gotten exactly what they needed at the plate.
Two things would determine the offensive success in Pittsburgh this season: How well the new guys they signed this offseason performed, and what kind of leap Oneil Cruz could take?
Well, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have an .867 and .893 OPS, respectively and have been terrific. Lowe has seven home runs on the year, and O’Hearn is batting .315.
Most importantly, Cruz has been great. He leads the team in hits, runs, RBI, and home runs. He is mashing left-handed pitchers this year, eliminating his biggest weakness, and has already stolen 10 bags. If he continues to be their best player, the Pirates will have a very successful season.
Cardinals vs Pirates Pick, Betting Analysis
While St. Louis showed a surprising early-season power surge, their offense remains wildly inconsistent. They have relied heavily on Walker’s power stroke and rallying for late comebacks over consistent hitting. The Cardinals are last in the league in runs over the past week.
Pittsburgh is going with a bullpen game on Monday, with left-hander Mason Montgomery getting the start to face the top of the Cardinals lineup that features three lefties in the first five batters. Right-hander Wilber Dotel will come on after that, a promising young prospect making his third career big-league appearance.
The Pirates used this piggy-back strategy a few weeks ago with Montgomery and Mlodzinski leading right to Soto and Santana to great success as the Bucs shut out the Nationals, allowing just three hits all game.
Dustin May has settled down over his last three outings, but he still grades out as a well-below-average starting pitcher. His strikeout numbers are way down; he has one of the lowest whiff rates in the league, and teams have a 46.8% hard-hit rate against him. Lowe, Ozuna, and Cruz have all taken May deep before.
May really struggles against left-handed hitters, and with two switch hitters in the lineup, the Pirates could roll out six lefties on Monday. After May departs, St. Louis has a young bullpen that has been overworked early and is struggling to a 5.25 ERA. They have the second-lowest K-BB% in the league. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been nails recently and should have the advantage throughout here.
Take the Buccos at home to raise the Jolly Roger on Monday night.
Pick: Pirates -130 (Play to -135)
