MLB Picks · August 29, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates vs St. Louis Cardinals
Lean
Cardinals ML
-119
64
/ 100
Starting Pitchers
Pittsburgh Pirates · Away
Lake Bachar (RHP)
St. Louis Cardinals · Home
Kyle Leahy (RHP)
AI Analysis
Leahy (3.13 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 10-4) is the clear pitching edge here against Bachar (3.70 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 1-3). STL's Jordan Walker (.351 L14) and Alec Burleson (.333 L14) are both scorching hot, and the Cardinals have scored 4.9 R/G in their last 10. Pittsburgh's offense has completely fallen apart — just 2.5 R/G over their last 5 games (.187 AVG, .557 OPS) with several cold hitters. PIT is on a 2-game losing streak and 4-6 L10. The Leahy advantage plus PIT's offensive collapse tips this to STL, though the pitching edge is moderate rather than dominant.
Concerns
- •Leahy's WHIP (1.30) is elevated despite strong ERA
- •STL offense is weak (.700 OPS team) and subpar vs RHP (.694)
- •STL has multiple cold hitters (Gorman .081, Herrera .184 L14)
- •PIT offense vs RHP is decent (.258/.758) — could bounce back
- •-119 is near fair value; limited ML value
Factor Breakdown