Pirates at Cardinals 7/16/19 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Pittsburgh Pirates play the second game of a three-game series on the road Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Pirates lost their third straight on Sunday when falling to the Chicago Cubs 8-3 and were swept by Chicago in the three-game series. The Pirates have fallen 5 ½ games behind the first place Cubs in the National League Central.

St. Louis won its second straight on Sunday after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-2. Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright tossed seven shutout innings and Paul Goldschmidt blasted a home run helping the Cardinals to the win. St. Louis remained three games behind first place Chicago in the NL Central with the win. Josh Bell is leading Pittsburgh with a .298 batting average, in hits with 104, home runs with 27 and RBIs with 84. Pittsburgh is averaging .270 at the plate while opponents are averaging .265. On Tuesday, the Pirates will send Dario Agrazal to the mound. The right-hander this season is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.81, 7 Ks and 5 BBs.

Yadier Molina is leading the Cardinals with a .261 batting average. Marcell Ozuna is the Cardinals leader in home runs with 20 and leads in RBIs with 62. Paul DeJong leads in hits with 86. The Cardinals are averaging .243 at the plate, while opposing hitters are averaging .241. On Tuesday, the Cardinals will send Jack Flaherty to the mound. The right-hander is 4-6 with an ERA of 4.64, 107 Ks and 32 BBs.