Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 8/22/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Sunday, August 22, 2021

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Bally Sports Midwest

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (+170) St. Louis (-227)

Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals (62-59, 3rd in NL Central) play the Pittsburgh Pirates (43-79, 5th in NL Central) at Busch Stadium on Sunday. The Cardinals open this matchup at -227 while the Pirates are priced at +170. The O/U opens at 8.5. The expected starting pitchers will be Steven Brault and Adam Wainwright.

Pittsburgh is slugging .358 and have been called out on strikes 997 times, while taking a walk on 376 occasions. They have 410 runs batted in as well as 935 hits this year, while their team batting average sits at .232. The Pirates have hit 187 two-baggers as a squad and have hit 93 balls out of the stadium. They have accumulated 435 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .303. As a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates are compiling 3.6 runs per outing, which has them sitting at 30th in MLB.

Get all of our MLB Picks Today

The Pirates have an earned run average of 5.05 for the season (28th in the league), and they have rung up 993 hitters. Their K/BB ratio is 2.20 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.41. Pirates pitchers have surrendered 157 home runs and 622 total runs (27th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 451 batters and their FIP is 4.69 as a squad this year.

Pirates bullpen pitchers have gone to the mound with players on base 91 times as well as having 89 appearances in high leverage situations. The bullpen have earned 49 holds over the course of the season (26th in MLB). The Pirates relievers have accumulated a save percentage of 57.7% and has come into the game in 78 save situations. They have tallied 15 saves this year and have missed out on 11 of their 26 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 154 runners on the year with 32.5% of them ended up scoring. The Pirates have dispatched 418 relief pitchers to the mound this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have earned a total of 3,136 putouts this year, as well as 1,035 assists and 58 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .986 which puts them in 6th in professional baseball, and have accumulated 859 double plays. The Pirates have transformed 68.9% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 9,408 innings on the field, which has them sitting 22nd in pro baseball.

Brault has taken the ball for 330 frames and has accumulated 284 strikeouts so far in his career. His earned run average is 4.55 (167 earned runs allowed) and his WHIP is 1.489. He has surrendered 327 base hits (8.9 hits per 9 innings) and has 165 walks. Brault (12-16 career mark) has earned a FIP of 4.64 while he has gone up against 1,480 batters in the majors.

The Cardinals hold a team SLG% of .392 and they are recording 4.08 runs per game (25th in MLB). They have tallied 191 doubles, while walking 367 times and scoring 494 runs. St. Louis has knocked in 133 long balls for the year as well as 474 RBIs. They have been rung up on 996 occasions (26th in baseball) and are sitting with 951 base knocks. The St. Louis Cardinals hold an OBP of .310 as well as a batting average of .238 so far this year.

The Cardinals hold a team WHIP of 1.322 in addition to having a FIP of 4.34 as a unit this year. They sit at 8th in the league as a staff in total hits allowed with 917. The St. Louis pitching staff have surrendered 519 runs on the season while holding an ERA of 4.07 (479 earned runs conceded). Their K/BB ratio is 1.92 (927 strikeouts against 483 free passes). They have allowed 108 home runs and they give up 4.41 runs per 9 innings (14th in MLB).

Sitting with 118 save situations, the Cardinals have earned 70 holds in addition to 13 blown saves. St. Louis has had relief pitchers enter the game in 46 save opportunities and they have walked away with 33 saves. Their relievers have taken the field 109 times in high leverage situations and also on 129 occasions with base runners. St. Louis bullpen pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 36.7% out of 218 inherited base runners. They are ranked 2nd in the league holding a save percentage of 71.7%, and they have dispatched 415 relievers to the mound on the season.

Out of their 9,534 innings on the field, the Cardinals are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 71.3% (4th in professional baseball). The St. Louis Cardinals have twisted 93 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .984 (17th in baseball). The Cardinals have accrued 1,109 assists, 68 errors and have earned 3,178 putouts this year.

In his career, Wainwright has surrendered 2,196 base knocks and he has 1,971 punch outs in 2,324 innings. He has surrendered 871 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.216 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.4. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.13 and he has gone up against 9,629 opposing batters in his pro baseball career. Wainwright (178-105 win-loss mark in his career) has a 3.37 ERA and has allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (+170)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here