The St. Louis Cardinals host Pittsburgh on Thursday, looking to build on their 68-51 mark against the 71-48 Pirates in MLB betting action at Busch Stadium.

Pittsburgh puts its faith in starter AJ Burnett to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 5-8. Getting the ball for the Cardinals is Lance Lynn, who owns a 13-6 record on the season with a 3.79 ERA.



View Pittsburgh vs St Louis Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Those who planned on backing the visitors in this one found the Pirates listed as underdogs of +-125 at most sportsbooks, including Sportsbook. Total bettors saw the number open in the area of 7, check for updates at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game puts the Cardinals, most recently No. 1 in the National League Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Pirates, who rate a National League No. 6 in the latest survey.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and St. Louis has the National League's No. 1-rated offensive output, at 9.4 hits per game. The Pirates average 8.3 hits per game, good for No. 11 on the National League list.

St. Louis owns the National League's No. 4 defense, allowing 3.7 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Pittsburgh's National League No. 2-rated defense.

Last time out for Pittsburgh, they were a 5-0 Sportsbook as they battled the Cardinals on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Pirates at +111 were rewarded, while the 5 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Pittsburgh threw a shutout at St. Louis in their last outing, using a shutdown performance by Francisco Liriano to defeat St. Louis 5-0 on Wednesday.




Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Arizona are 7-3
After playing St. Louis are 6-4
After a win are 7-3

St. Louis Cardinals Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 3-7
After a loss are 4-6

A few Pirates at Cardinals trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of St. Louis' last 15 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home


Next up:
Pittsburgh home to Arizona, Friday, August 16
St. Louis at Chi Cubs, Friday, August 16