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MLB Prop Bets: St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates (August 28, 2026)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (65-70) face the St. Louis Cardinals (67-68) at Busch Stadium on Friday at 8:15pm (ET). Let's take a look at the MLB Prop Bets for the matchup. Jared Jones is the probable pitcher for the Pirates, while Quinn Mathews is the probable pitcher for the Cardinals. The total runs line is set at 7.0, with OVER at -120 and UNDER at +100.

  • The Pirates (+150) have a 62-73 Run Line record this season, while the Cardinals (-182) hold a record of 73-62.
  • The Pirates have a 72-59-4 O/U record this season (meaning 72 games have gone over the total runs line, 59 have gone under and four have resulted in a push). The Cardinals have a 59-71-5 O/U record.

Scoring Insights

  • The Pirates are averaging 4.9 runs per game this season (5th in the league). Comparatively, the Cardinals are averaging only 4.4 (18th).
  • In the field, the Pirates are allowing 4.7 runs per game this season (22nd in the league), while the Cardinals are allowing an average of 4.5 runs (19th).

Let's take a look at how these teams perform in some other key statistical areas.

Batting Insights:

Batting Average

  • Looking at their batting averages this season, the Pirates are at .252 (ranking 5th in the Major leagues), while the Cardinals are batting .241 (20th).

Home Runs

  • In terms of total home runs this season, the Cardinals have hit 141 (21st in the Major Leagues). Meanwhile, the Pirates have managed 158 (T12th).

Runs Batted In

  • Finally, looking at their runs batted in, the Pirates have recorded 627 RBIs to rank 4th in the MLB this season. Comparatively, the Cardinals have recorded 585 RBIs to rank 12th.

Pitching Insights:

Earned Run Average

  • The Cardinals have an earned run average of 4.24 this season (20th in the Majors), while The Pirates have an ERA of 4.22 (19th).

Strikeouts

  • Turning our attention to total strikeouts, the Pirates have recorded an impressive 1249 this season, ranking 4th in the MLB. Contrastingly, the Cardinals rank 25th for total strikeouts, recording only 1046.

Opponent Batting Average

  • Opponents are batting an average of .254 against the Cardinals this season (25th in the Major Leagues). Comparatively, the Pirates' opponents are at .238 (10th).

First Innings Moneyline

  • Here are their first innings moneyline records in 2026.
    Total Home Road Favorite Underdog Neutral Last 10
    Pirates 35-25-75 21-12-33 14-13-42 23-9-36 12-16-39 0-0-0 3-3-4
    Cardinals 31-23-81 12-11-46 19-12-35 12-8-23 19-15-58 0-0-0 3-3-4

Lead After Three Innings

The Pirates are -125 to lead after three innings, while the Cardinals are -105.

  • Here are their records after the first three innings in 2026.
    Total Home Road Favorite Underdog Neutral Last 10
    Pirates 52-47-36 32-16-18 20-31-18 31-19-18 21-28-18 0-0-0 2-4-4
    Cardinals 57-40-38 30-19-20 27-21-18 22-11-10 35-29-28 0-0-0 3-5-2

NRFI/YRFI

  • The NRFI is 71-64 in Pirates games this season. The Cardinals have a 72-63 NRFI record.

Last Time They Met

The Pirates recorded a 6-2 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium when these teams last met on May 21. Brandon Lowe was unstoppable in that matchup, hitting a home run, a single and recording an RBI.