Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Wednesday May 20 2026
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The Pittsburgh Pirates travel to face the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday May 20, 2026, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 PM ET with television coverage on MLB.TV. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks.
Starting Pitchers
Carmen Mlodzinski is expected to start for Pittsburgh in this matchup. The right-hander enters with a 3-3 record, a 4.40 ERA, and a 1.44 WHIP across 45.0 innings pitched. He has allowed 49 hits while recording 43 strikeouts and issuing 16 walks while surrendering only two home runs. St. Louis is expected to counter with Michael McGreevy, who enters with a 3-2 record, a 2.10 ERA, and a 0.88 WHIP over 51.1 innings. He has allowed just 34 hits while striking out 36 batters and walking 11 while allowing six home runs.
Pirates Trying to End Recent Slide
Pittsburgh enters Wednesday with a 24-23 overall record and an 11-10 road record. The Pirates recently lost to Philadelphia 6-0 and have now recently lost three straight games against the Phillies by scores of 6-0, 6-0, and 11-9 in 10 innings. Pittsburgh did recently win over Colorado 7-2 before that stretch but also recently lost to Colorado 10-4. The Pirates have struggled to generate offense consistently during the current losing streak.
Pittsburgh is batting .248 as a team with 229 runs scored and 404 hits this season. The Pirates have hit 49 home runs while posting a .332 on-base percentage and a .388 slugging percentage. On the mound, Pittsburgh owns a 3.88 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP while opponents are batting .226 against the pitching staff. The Pirates have recorded 421 strikeouts and issued 168 walks this season.
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One strength for Pittsburgh entering this matchup is overall pitching consistency. The Pirates carry the lower ERA, lower WHIP, and better opponent batting average compared to St. Louis. However, the recent offensive struggles are concerning after being shut out in back-to-back games entering Wednesday.
Cardinals Looking to Continue Strong Overall Form
St. Louis enters Wednesday with a 27-19 overall record and a 12-11 home record. The Cardinals recently lost to Kansas City 2-0 after recently winning over Kansas City by scores of 4-2 and 5-4 in 11 innings. St. Louis also recently won over Oakland 5-4 before recently losing to Oakland 6-2. The Cardinals continue to hold one of the stronger overall records among the teams playing Wednesday.
The Cardinals are batting .241 as a team with 208 runs scored and 373 hits this season. St. Louis has hit 51 home runs while posting a .321 on-base percentage and a .388 slugging percentage. On the mound, the Cardinals carry a 4.12 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP while opponents are batting .252 against the pitching staff. St. Louis has recorded 330 strikeouts and issued 173 walks this season.
One major strength for St. Louis entering this matchup is the projected starting pitching advantage. Michael McGreevy enters with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP while allowing only 34 hits in 51.1 innings. The Cardinals have also shown an ability to win close games recently, including extra-inning victories during the past week.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Pick
- Pick: St. Louis Cardinals Moneyline
St. Louis enters this matchup with the advantage on the mound and the stronger overall record. Michael McGreevy has been excellent this season with a 2.10 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP, while Pittsburgh enters after being shut out in consecutive games. Although the Pirates have solid overall pitching numbers, their recent offensive struggles combined with St. Louis holding the better recent momentum gives the Cardinals the edge at home.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals Total Pick
- Pick: Take the under if the total is set at 8
I would lean toward the under because Pittsburgh has struggled offensively during its recent losing streak and has been shut out in back-to-back games entering Wednesday. Both teams also feature solid overall pitching numbers, with Pittsburgh holding a 3.88 ERA and St. Louis expected to start a pitcher carrying a 2.10 ERA. The recent form and pitching matchup point toward a lower-scoring divisional game.
Final Score Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals 4 – Pittsburgh Pirates 2
This prediction was written before the completion of game play on Tuesday.
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