We’re always trying to make the most money possible off of the MLB odds each and every night. Join us on Thursday, as we make our NLDS picks for Game 1 with our Pittsburgh Pirates @ St. Louis Cardinals free picks and predictions for what should be a great clash on the diamond.
NLDS Game 1 Picks: Pittsburgh Pirates @ St. Louis Cardinals
Date: Thursday, October 3rd, 5:00 ET
Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
Pirates vs. Cardinals On TV: TBS
Pittsburgh Pirates (AJ Burnett) +141
St. Louis Cardinals (Adam Wainwright) -151
Total: 6.5
No team is playing with less to lose than the Pirates are. If they get swept in this series and lose by 20 runs a game, they are still the most successful Pirates team in two decades. That said, if they end up winning this series, they are just living out the dream of being the little guy that can hang with the big boys and get closer and closer to a championship. When you’re that loose, you can do a lot of things. Confidence is beaming right now through this side, as the team has only been beaten once in the last week and a half, including taking four straight games from the Cincinnati Reds to eliminate them from the playoffs. Now, RHP AJ Burnett is going to be on the hill for this one, and though he doesn’t have a winning record for the year at just 10-11, he has clearly been one of the best, albeit one of the unluckiest, pitchers in the entire sport.
On top of that, we just aren’t buying RHP Adam Wainwright as a man that should be this big of a favorite. He’s the best pitcher that the Cardinals have to bring to the table, and he did lead the team to 23 wins this year in his 34 starts, but the team around him has been beating up on a lot of suspect teams. We really like Pittsburgh here in this game, and perhaps in this series as well, as we think that momentum is going to be carrying over throughout this whole postseason. This is going to be one of the toughest teams to knock out of the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Pirates @ St. Louis Cardinals Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +141
Pittsburgh Pirates @ St. Louis Cardinals Score Prediction: Pirates 6 – Cardinals 4
