The St. Louis Cardinals are 17-19 on the season. They enter this game riding a modest three-game winning streak. The Pittsburgh Pirates are dead last in the NL Central at 12-24. They have one big advantage every five days or so with Paul Skeenes on the mound. Skeenes is a top 5 pitcher in MLB, and he has pitched exceptionally well on the road this season where he carries a 0.96 ERA.The Pirates don’t win often, but they win like a playoff team with him. Skeenes has allowed a batting average of just .167 on the road. I’d be glad to back Skeenes here on basically even money. Paul Skeenes has made 19 quality starts in 30 overall starts, so the Cardinals bats are likely to be held in check here. The Pirates have had at least one of the teams shutout in six of his last 13 starts, as the Pirate offense isn’t likely to generate a lot here. Take Pittsburgh, and bet this game to stay UNDER the total.
