Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 8/29/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Saturday, August 29, 2026

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: Cardinals.TV

Odds/Point Spread: Pittsburgh (-196) St. Louis (+162)

Busch Stadium is the site where the St. Louis Cardinals (67-68) will play the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-70) on Saturday. The line on this contest has Pittsburgh at -196 and St. Louis is coming in at +162. The total comes in at 8. The men taking the mound will be Carmen Mlodzinski and Kyle Leahy.

Pittsburgh has a slugging % of .404 and have been called out on strikes 1,278 times, while taking a walk on 479 occasions. They have accrued 627 runs batted in as well as 1,172 hits over the course of the season, and their team batting average sits at .252. The Pirates have tallied 204 doubles as a team and have knocked 158 balls out of the stadium. They have tallied 657 runs scored and have an on-base percentage of .329. As a unit, the Pittsburgh Pirates are scoring 4.9 runs per game, which ranks them 5th in the league.

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They have accrued a K/BB ratio of 2.50 and the pitching staff holds a collective WHIP of 1.32. Pirates pitchers have allowed 134 long balls and 633 total runs (23rd in the league). Pittsburgh has yielded 1,087 hits (8.1 per 9 innings) in addition to 565 earned runs. The Pirates hold a team earned run average of 4.22 for the year (19th in MLB), and they have struck out 1,249 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 499 opposing players and their FIP sits at 3.88 as a unit this year.

The Pirates relievers have recorded a save percentage of 56.3% and have come into the game in 100 save situations. They have earned 27 saves so far this year and have blown 21 of their 48 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 158 base runners for the season and 32.9% of those runners crossing home plate. Pirates pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on base 113 times and also have had 121 appearances in high leverage situations. The Pirates have sent 433 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign. The relief pitchers have tallied 51 holds this year (29th in the league).

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a total of 3,616 putouts this year, as well as 1,061 assists and 84 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .982 which puts them in 27th in baseball, and have a total of 112 double plays. The Pirates have turned 68.7% of balls hit into play into outs in their 10,848 innings on the field, ranking them 27th in baseball.

Mlodzinski has pitched in 290 innings and has racked up 254 strikeouts so far in his pro baseball career. Mlodzinski (19-22 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a FIP of 3.54 while he has gone up against 1,246 opposing hitters during his time in the majors. His ERA is 3.60 (116 earned runs allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.340. He has given up 289 hits (9.0 hits per nine innings) and has had 100 walks.

The Cardinals have a SLG% of .383 and they average 4.44 runs per contest (18th in the league). They have 190 two-baggers, while taking a walk 435 times as well as putting up 600 runs. St. Louis is sitting with 141 long balls for the season and 585 RBIs. They have struck out on 1,060 occasions (26th in MLB) and have tallied 1,095 hits. The St. Louis Cardinals have accumulated a team OBP of .317 as well as a team batting average of .241 so far this season.

The St. Louis pitching staff have conceded 613 runs this season while holding a team ERA of 4.24 (567 earned runs conceded). They have relinquished 134 long balls and they concede 4.59 runs per 9 innings (19th in MLB). The Cardinals have a WHIP of 1.342 and have a FIP of 4.07 as a team for the year. They currently have a K/BB ratio of 7.80 (1,046 strikeouts against 454 walks). They have a ranking of 26th in MLB as a staff in total hits allowed with 1,160.

They sit at 17th in MLB with a save rate of 61.9%, and they have sent 454 relievers to the hill on the year. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 168 times in high leverage situations and also on 137 occasions with runners on. With 154 save situations, the Cardinals have accrued 87 holds and 24 blown saves. St. Louis has had relief pitchers take the mound in 63 save chances and they have walked away with 39 saves. St. Louis relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 39.3% out of their 206 inherited runners.

In 10,827 innings played, the Cardinals hold a defensive efficiency of 69.2% (23rd in baseball). The St. Louis Cardinals have turned 133 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .989 (4th in the majors). The Cardinals have racked up 1,264 assists, 56 errors and are sitting with 3,609 putouts so far this season.

In his MLB career, Leahy has given up 251 hits while totaling 230 K's in 264 innings pitched. Leahy (15-8 win-loss mark in his career) has earned a 3.41 ERA while allowing 8.6 hits per nine innings. He has surrendered a total of 100 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.253 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.4. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.88 and he has gone up against 1,100 opposing batters thus far in his career.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-196)

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