Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 6/14/2022 (Game 1)

Time: 1:15 p.m. ET

Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO

Where to watch: AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, Bally Sports Midwest

DraftKings: NL

BetMGM: NL

Caesars: Cardinals -161, Pirates +140

Pirates: 24-35

Cardinals: 35-27

Even when the Pittsburgh Pirates want to win, they lose. Such is time for the Pirates right now, and the St. Louis Cardinals are reaping the benefits of facing such a struggling ball club.

The Cardinals took the first game in the four-game set on Monday, 7-5, in comeback fashion to send the Pirates to their seventh straight loss and pushing the first-place Cardinals further ahead in the race track.

The series continues with a doubleheader. The first game will be an early 1:15 start with Matthew Liberatore getting a start against the winless JT Brubaker for Pittsburgh.

But back to this game for a minute, because things were actually swimming up stream for the Pirates. They took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth thanks to home runs from Michael Chavis and Diego Castillo.

Then, the Cardinals responded with their own five-spot in the bottom of the sixth. Brenden Donovan drove in two runs with a double, and then Dylan Carlson followed that with a game-tying three-run homer. Paul Goldschmidt continued destroying baseballs in the seventh with the go-ahead and eventual game-winning solo shot.

"He's one of the better young hitters in this entire game," St. Louis catcher Andrew Knizner said of Carlson. "He's a guy that can change the game with one swing of the bat."

"We just try to have good at-bats, whether we're winning, losing or tied," Goldschmidt said. "We did a good job of it tonight."

Goldschmidt finished 3 for 4 with that homer and a walk, pushing his batting average to .335. Donovan went 3 for 4 and moved his average to .310.

The Pirates actually got some decent looks in this game. Chavis went 2 for 4, but getting five runs on seven hits seems productive. They just didn't get enough from the big bats. Bryan Reynolds and Ke'Bryan Hayes had just a hit each, while Mitch Keller did all he could through the 5.1 innings of work. He even outdueled Zach Thompson as he gave up five runs in those five innings.

"We just threw too many balls in the middle of the plate," Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said. "We just have to execute pitches."

I don't think it matters which game it is. We're going to see a dominant performance in both games from the Cardinals, especially in that second game with Mikolas. I can't see the Pirates winning either game when they're sending two starters out there with no wins this season. It's going to be an ugly Tuesday. Cardinals win 6-2

Pirates are 8-17 as an underdog of +150 or more this season.

Pirates are 10-16 as a road underdog this season.

Cardinals are 51-36 as a home favorite the past three seasons.

Pirates:
Tucupita Marcano (L) 2B
Bryan Reynolds (S) CF
Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B
Daniel Vogelbach (L) DH
Jack Suwinski (L) LF
Michael Chavis (R) 1B
Cal Mitchell (L) RF
Michael Perez (L) C
Diego Castillo (R) SS
SP - JT Brubaker

Cardinals:
Tommy Edman (S) SS
Nolan Gorman (L) DH
Paul Goldschmidt (R) 1B
Nolan Arenado (R) 3B
Tyler O'Neill (R) LF
Brendan Donovan (L) 2B
Dylan Carlson (S) RF
Yadier Molina (R) C
Harrison Bader (R) CF
SP - Matthew Liberatore

Batting average: Ke'Bryan Hayes -- .277

Home runs: Bryan Reynolds -- 10

RBI: Michael Chavis -- 22

Wins: Dillon Peters -- 4

ERA: Jose Quintana -- 3.53

Batting average: Paul Goldschmidt -- .335

Home runs: Paul Goldschmidt -- 13

RBI: Paul Goldschmidt -- 48

Wins: Adam Wainwright -- 5

ERA: Adam Wainwright -- 2.84