One of the best divisions in all of baseball last year was the NL Central, and it was expected that we would get more of the same this season. The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, as well as the Chicago Cubs, were all among the top betting odds favorites to make a playoff run at the end of the season. While the expectation was that these three would be engaged in a tight struggle, it hasn’t really played out that way. The Cubs have been dominant, and are currently sitting with an 8-game lead as we approach the end of the first half of the season. The Cardinals and Pirates are scrambling to keep pace, which makes this series all the more important. A poor performance by either team here could see the gap widen to a point that becomes impossible to get back. The second of four games in the series is set to go on Tuesday night in St. Louis, and you can catch it on national TV on ESPN.

Pittsburgh Pirates Vs St. Louis Cardinals MLB Betting Odds

When: Tuesday, July 5 at 8 PM EST Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis Starting Pitchers: Jameson Taillon Vs Mike Leake TV: ESPN Radio: KDKA and KMOX MLB Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates (41-41) have been a real disappointment this season, but they are starting to show some signs of life as the break approaches. They have taken advantage of the recent woes of the Cubs, and have put together a 4-game winning streak that now has them within 10.5 games of the lead. More importantly, though, they are now just 2.5 games back of the Cardinals in 2nd place, which may be the spot to finish in of they are to land one of the Wild Card spots. It has been pitching that has been the biggest issue for Pittsburgh this season, and it’s going to be interesting to see how they address that at the deadline. Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.86 ERA) will get the start on Tuesday.

Why bet on the St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals (43-38) have gone just 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they are coming off a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers that allowed them to close the gap a little on the Cubs. While heading home for a big series is something that most teams relish, it may end up being bad news for the Cardinals, St. Louis has one of the best road records in the league, yet ae somehow inexplicably 5 games below .500 at home. They are just 3-7 in their last 10 home stats, but will be hoping that their current run of form carries over into this one. Mike Leake (5-6, 4.13 ERA) will be on the mound for the Cardinals.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I have a feeling that this is going to be a very tight series, and would not be stunned to see a split. As far as this one goes, I think it’s the Pirates who have a slight pitching edge.