Game Information
St. Louis Cardinals (5-6) at Pittsburgh Pirates (4-8)
Time: 11:35am CT Wednesday
How to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Probable pitchers: Erick Fedde (1-1, 7.00 ERA) vs Mitch Keller (1-1, 7.45 ERA)
DraftKings Odds
Moneyline: Cardinals -118, Pirates -102
Total: 8 (over -108, under -112)
Cardinals Go For Series Win
The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates play the rubber game of their three-game series on Wednesday at PNC Park. It’s an early first pitch at 11:35am CT.
The Redbirds snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-3 win over Paul Skenes and the Pirates on Tuesday. The over also cashed to make the over 9-1-1 in the Cards’ first 11 games of the season.
Cards’ Offense Keeps Producing
The Cardinals continue to be driven by a strong offense that is averaging 6.4 runs per game, and they’ve scored at least 4 runs in every game this season. Redbird hitters have enjoyed plenty of success against Wednesday’s Pirates starter and my nemesis Mitch Keller (more on this dude below). They’ve faced him for a total of 124 at-bats and have compiled a .290 average and an .817 OPS.
Erick Fedde will be on the bump for the Birds after getting lit up for 6 runs in 3 innings in his last start at Boston. He faced this Pirates team last September and allowed just 1 run on 4 hits in 6 innings.
Punchless Pirates
The Pirates have struggled offensively this season, averaging just 3.5 runs per game. Their hitters also haven’t done much against Fedde in their careers with a .246 average and a .680 OPS in 57 combined at-bats.
The always inconsistent Keller has been right on brand so far this season. He pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball in his season debut against the Marlins before getting shellacked for 7 runs in 3.2 innings against the Yankees in his last start.
My Leans
I will preface this by saying that under normal circumstances, I would be betting both the Cardinals and the over in this game. I’m bullish on Fedde this season, the Cards have hit Keller well in their history, and the Birds have been an over machine so far in 2025.
But I have a list of gambling commandments I live by, and two of them are:
Never take an over on a weekday afternoon getaway game.
Never bet on a game involving a Keller.
The Keller’s (Mitch and Brad) have been my kryptonite in both gambling and fantasy baseball for years now. Seemingly every time I think they are due to have a good start, they get blown up. And when I’m up against them or decide to fade them, they look like Cy Young.
So instead of betting the Cardinals and the over in this one, they are just leans for me. Fade accordingly!
Leans: Cardinals on the moneyline at -118 on DraftKings and over 8 at -108 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the Sports Hub STL YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer