St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Prediction, 9/22/2026 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates

Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Location: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Odds/Point Spread: St. Louis (+132) Pittsburgh (-160)

PNC Park is the location where the Pittsburgh Pirates (79-77) will attempt to beat the St. Louis Cardinals (76-80) on Tuesday. The moneyline on this game has St. Louis at +132 and Pittsburgh is at -160. The over/under is set at 9. The pitchers who are expected to start will be Andre Pallante and Jared Jones.

As a squad, the St. Louis Cardinals are scoring 4.5 runs per outing, which is 12th in baseball. They have accounted for 704 runs while holding a team OBP of .315. The Cardinals have hit 225 two-baggers as a squad and have knocked 161 baseballs out of the park. They have earned 681 runs batted in and 1,277 base knocks on the campaign, while their team batting average sits at .242. St. Louis owns a slugging percentage of .382 and have struck out 1,234 times, while drawing a walk on 496 occasions.

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The Cardinals are sitting with a team earned run average of 4.29 this season (22nd in the league), and the staff has rung up 1,235 hitters. Cardinals pitchers have yielded 155 long balls and 727 total runs (22nd in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 544 opposing hitters and their FIP is 4.10 as a team this year. St. Louis has allowed 1,345 hits (8.7 per 9 innings) as well as 665 earned runs. Their K/BB ratio is 2.27 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.36.

Cardinals relief pitchers have entered the game with runners on 163 times in addition to having 194 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have tallied 96 holds on the campaign (8th in baseball). The Cardinals relief pitchers have accumulated a save percentage of 60.5% and have entered the game in 176 save situations. They have accumulated 46 saves this year and have blown 30 of 76 save chances. The relievers have inherited 237 runners on the season and 40.5% of them crossing the plate. The Cardinals have sent 532 relief pitchers to the hill so far this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals have a tally of 4,181 putouts this year, in addition to 1,462 assists and 73 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .987 which puts them in 9th in the majors, and have a total of 149 double plays. The Cardinals have converted 69.0% of balls hit into play into outs out of 12,543 innings on the field, which has them sitting 24th in MLB.

Pallante has taken the mound for 611 frames and has earned 425 punch outs in his career. His ERA is 4.17 (283 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.378. He has given up 615 base knocks (9.1 hits per 9 innings) with 227 walks. Pallante (36-36 career mark) is the owner of a FIP of 4.11 while going up against 2,612 opposing hitters in the major leagues.

The Pirates have a slugging percentage of .406 and they are scoring 4.79 runs per game (5th in the league). They have put up 238 two-baggers, while taking a walk 551 times as well as notching 748 runs. Pittsburgh has recorded 181 home runs over the course of the season to go along with 715 RBIs. They have struck out on 1,452 occasions (4th in MLB) and have earned a total of 1,363 base hits. The Pittsburgh Pirates have compiled a team OBP of .332 and a team batting average of .254 on the year.

The Pirates have a team WHIP of 1.304 and have a FIP of 3.84 as a team for the year. Their K/BB ratio sits at 9.20 (1,429 strikeouts vs 563 walks). They rank 12th in the league as a staff in total hits allowed with 1,252. They have surrendered 150 home runs and they concede 4.65 runs per 9 innings (20th in baseball). The Pittsburgh pitching staff have conceded 719 runs on the campaign and come in with a team ERA of 4.19 (648 earned runs surrendered).

Pittsburgh relief pitchers have an inherited score percentage of 32.8% out of their 192 inherited runners. Their relief pitchers have stepped onto the hill 152 times in high leverage situations and on 130 occasions with runners on. Sitting with 139 save situations, the Pirates have compiled 74 holds in addition to 25 blown saves. They are ranked 20th in the league with a save percentage of 60.3%, and they have sent 510 relief pitchers to the hill on the campaign.

Out of their 12,531 innings played, the Pirates have earned a efficiency on defense of 68.9% (26th in pro baseball). The Pittsburgh Pirates have turned 126 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .983 (25th in professional baseball). The Pirates have racked up 1,238 assists, 95 errors and are sitting with 4,177 putouts for the year.

So far in his career, Jones has conceded 183 base knocks while he has totaled 241 K's in 211 innings pitched. Jones (10-14 career record) has earned a 4.17 earned run average and has given up 7.8 hits per 9 innings. He has given up 98 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.197 and a FIP of 4.1. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.44 and he has gone up against 884 batters so far in his pro baseball career.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Louis (+132)

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