Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Picks

Braxton Ashcraft has turned into one of the more dependable arms in this division, and he brings a stretch few Pirates starters can match into St. Louis: a complete game, then eight strong, then six more of one-run ball his last time out. That's three outings in a row where Pittsburgh's bullpen barely had to get loose. He's working against a Cardinals lineup that owns one of the emptier bats in baseball this season, a club that's had trouble stringing hits together even at home. Matthew Liberatore goes for St. Louis, and I won't pretend his last start was clean. It wasn't. But he's shown he can miss bats when his stuff is on, and he gets a Pirates offense that, while capable, is walking into a matchup where the total has more to do with what Ashcraft does to a punchless Cardinals attack than anything Liberatore needs to be perfect about himself. Both bullpens have had their innings managed carefully this weekend, which matters in a game like this one that could easily turn into a low-scoring grind late. Side with the UNDER this afternoon.