Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction, Odds, Moneyline, Spread & Over/Under for May 21

Odds updated as of 10:12 p.m.

On Thursday in MLB, the Pittsburgh Pirates are playing the St. Louis Cardinals.

Before checking out the MLB betting lines on FanDuel Sportsbook, we've got you covered, in terms of the vital info regarding this matchup.

Pirates vs Cardinals Game Info

• Pittsburgh Pirates (24-24) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (28-19)
• Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
• Time: 1:15 p.m. ET
• Venue: Busch Stadium -- St. Louis, Missouri
• Coverage: Cardinals.TV and SportsNet PT

Pirates vs Cardinals Odds & Moneyline

• All MLB odds, betting lines and prop bets are available on FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: PIT: (-126) | STL: (+108)
• Spread: PIT: -1.5 (+136) | STL: +1.5 (-164)
• Total: 7.5 -- Over: (-124) | Under: (+102)

Pirates vs Cardinals Probable Starting Pitchers

Probable Pitchers: Braxton Ashcraft (Pirates) - 2-2, 3.09 ERA vs Dustin May (Cardinals) - 3-4, 4.81 ERA

The Pirates will give the nod to Braxton Ashcraft (2-2, 3.09 ERA), who is eyeing win No. 3 on the season, and the Cardinals will turn to Dustin May (3-4, 4.81 ERA). Ashcraft's team is 4-5-0 against the spread in his starts this season. Ashcraft's team has been victorious in 57.1% of the games he's started as the moneyline favorite with a record of 4-3. When May starts, the Cardinals are 5-4-0 against the spread. The Cardinals have a 3-4 record in May's seven starts this season when they were the underdog on the moneyline.

Pirates vs Cardinals Prediction & Pick

All MLB win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: Pirates win (54.6%)

Pirates vs Cardinals Moneyline

• Looking at the moneyline for Cardinals-Pirates, St. Louis is the underdog at +108, and Pittsburgh is -126 playing on the road.

Pirates vs Cardinals Spread

• The Cardinals are hosting the Pirates, and are +1.5 on the runline. The Cardinals are +136 to cover the spread, and the Pirates are -164.

Pirates vs Cardinals Over/Under

• An over/under of 7.5 has been set for Pirates-Cardinals on May 21, with the over being -124 and the under +102.

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Pirates vs Cardinals Betting Trends

• The Pirates have been victorious in 17, or 60.7%, of the 28 contests they have been chosen as favorites in this season.
• This season Pittsburgh has come away with a win nine times in 19 chances when named as a favorite of at least -126 on the moneyline.
• The Pirates and their opponents have gone over in 25 of their 47 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Pirates are 23-24-0 against the spread in their 47 games with a line set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Cardinals have gone 23-16 in games they were the underdog on the moneyline (winning 59% of those games).
• St. Louis has a record of 16-13 when it has played as a moneyline underdog with odds of +108 or longer (55.2%).
• In the 46 games oddsmakers have set an over/under for the Cardinals, they have combined with opponents to go over the total 20 times (20-22-4).
• The Cardinals have put together a 29-17-0 record against the spread this season.

Pirates Player Leaders

• Brandon Lowe has 41 hits, which ranks first among Pittsburgh hitters this season, while batting .252 with 23 extra-base hits. He has an on-base percentage of .346 and a slugging percentage of .546.
• Among all qualifying hitters, he is 86th in batting average, his on-base percentage ranks 66th, and he is 12th in slugging.
• Lowe has recorded at least one hit in two games in a row. During his last five outings he is hitting .227 with a double, two home runs and three RBIs.
• Oneil Cruz has hit 10 homers this season while driving in 33 runs. He's batting .264 this season and slugging .466 with an on-base percentage of .330.
• His batting average is 61st among qualified players, his on-base percentage 85th, and his slugging percentage 47th.
• Cruz heads into this game looking to extend his two-game hit streak. During his last five outings he is hitting .286 with a double, two walks and four RBIs.
• Bryan Reynolds is batting .253 with a .388 slugging percentage and 28 RBI this year.
• Spencer Horwitz leads Pittsburgh in OBP (.387) this season, fueled by 36 hits.
• Horwitz heads into this game on a four-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is hitting .333 with a double and an RBI.

Cardinals Player Leaders

• Jordan Walker has a slugging percentage of .576 and has 53 hits, both team-high figures for the Cardinals. He's batting .299 and with an on-base percentage of .369.
• He is 17th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage and eighth in slugging percentage among all qualifying hitters in the majors.
• Alec Burleson has 11 doubles, seven home runs and 18 walks while batting .283. He's slugging .461 with an on-base percentage of .348.
• He is currently 35th in batting average, 63rd in on-base percentage and 50th in slugging percentage among all qualified hitters.
• JJ Wetherholt is batting .239 with five doubles, nine home runs and 25 walks.
• Ivan Herrera's .391 OBP leads his team.

Pirates vs Cardinals Head to Head

• 5/19/2026: 9-6 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8, Favorite Moneyline: -116, Underdog Moneyline: -102)
• 4/30/2026: 10-5 STL (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7, Favorite Moneyline: -245, Underdog Moneyline: +200)
• 4/29/2026: 5-4 STL (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -132, Underdog Moneyline: +112)
• 4/28/2026: 11-7 STL (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8.5, Favorite Moneyline: -162, Underdog Moneyline: +136)
• 4/27/2026: 4-2 STL (Favorite: Pirates, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8, Favorite Moneyline: -122, Underdog Moneyline: +104)
• 8/28/2025: 4-1 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8, Favorite Moneyline: -120, Underdog Moneyline: +102)
• 8/27/2025: 2-1 PIT (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -174, Underdog Moneyline: +146)
• 8/26/2025: 8-3 PIT (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 8, Favorite Moneyline: -126, Underdog Moneyline: +108)
• 8/25/2025: 7-6 STL (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -130, Underdog Moneyline: +110)
• 7/2/2025: 5-0 PIT (Favorite: Cardinals, Spread: -1.5, Total: 7.5, Favorite Moneyline: -126, Underdog Moneyline: +108)

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