- This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Pittsburgh (24-23) at St. Louis (27-19)
- When: May 19 2026, 7:45 PM
- Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
- TV: CARD
Pittsburgh vs St. Louis MLB Preview & Pick
Moneyline: St. Louis -111
Runline: St. Louis -1.5 (+190)
Total: 8.0
Pittsburgh Pirates: Searching For Runs
Pittsburgh Pirates currently look like a baseball team that forgot runs are allowed in Major League Baseball.
The Pirates just got swept by Philadelphia while scoring exactly zero runs over the final two games. That is not ideal if your long-term strategy involves winning baseball games. Even Paul Skenes got lit up Sunday, which basically felt like watching Superman lose a fistfight to a parking meter.
Now Pittsburgh turns to Mitch Keller, who somehow experienced the most Pirates inning imaginable in his last outing. Keller retired the first 12 Rockies hitters, probably started imagining a complete-game masterpiece, then immediately gave up six runs in one inning because baseball enjoys emotional damage.
To Keller’s credit, he actually pitches well against St. Louis historically with a respectable 3.27 ERA across 17 career starts. The issue is whether Pittsburgh’s offense plans on participating in this series or continuing its witness protection program.
Manager Don Kelly practically begged his lineup to produce competent at-bats after the Phillies series. At this point, Pirates fans would probably settle for a sacrifice fly and emotional closure.
If Pittsburgh cannot generate early offense Tuesday, this could quickly become another painful night involving stranded runners, confused facial expressions, and fans aggressively checking NFL countdown calendars.
St. Louis Cardinals: Quietly Winning Games
St. Louis Cardinals were supposed to rebuild this season after shipping away veterans like Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan, and Willson Contreras.
Instead, the Cardinals apparently ignored the script entirely and decided to become competitive anyway. Very rude behavior toward sportsbooks everywhere.
Despite Sunday’s 2-0 loss against Kansas City, St. Louis continues hanging around the NL Central race thanks to balanced baseball across the roster. The lineup ranks among the better offensive groups in the National League, while the pitching staff quietly keeps games manageable.
Left-hander Matthew Liberatore gets the ball Tuesday hoping to bounce back after allowing four runs against the Athletics last week. Liberatore’s numbers versus Pittsburgh are not exactly Hall of Fame material, but facing this Pirates lineup right now feels like the baseball equivalent of finding free parking downtown.
The Cardinals also enter a massive stretch of division games, meaning every win suddenly matters twice as much because the NL Central operates like a weekly family argument nobody fully wins.
If St. Louis grabs an early lead, Busch Stadium could turn into a support group for frustrated Pirates hitters by the fifth inning.
LVSB Final Score Prediction
Neither offense arrives exactly breathing fire, but St. Louis looks significantly more reliable right now. Pittsburgh’s bats have completely disappeared, while the Cardinals continue finding enough timely hitting to survive low-scoring games.
Keller keeps this competitive for a while, but eventually St. Louis scratches together enough offense against a struggling Pirates bullpen.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh may need Google Maps just to locate home plate again.
Final Score: Cardinals 5, Pirates 2
Lean: St. Louis ML (-111)
Total: Under 8.0 (-110)
- MLB Baseball Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
- Get real-time live scores & latest betting odds here!
