Pirates vs Cardinals Betting Guide – 8/29/26

Pittsburgh Pirates

@

St. Louis Cardinals

Pittsburgh Pirates Insights

• Lake Bachar – Over/Under Pitching Outs
  The leading projection system (THE BAT X) expects Lake Bachar to be on a bit of a short leash in this game, projecting a maximum of 70 pitches.
  Explain: A pitcher who is on a pitch count is likely to be pulled from the game earlier, record fewer outs, and generate fewer strikeouts.
• Jake Mangum – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+160/-205)
  The switch-hitting Jake Mangum will be at a disadvantage batting from his weak side (0) today against Kyle Leahy
  Explain: Right-handed hitters perform better against left-handed pitchers (and visa-versa). This can have a huge impact on whether a hitter will perform well or struggle on any given day.
• Brandon Lowe – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+130/-170)
  Brandon Lowe pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.9% — 96th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s 2nd-deepest RF fences in today’s game.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

St. Louis Cardinals Insights

• Kyle Leahy – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (-155/+120)
  With 6 bats of opposing handedness in the opposing team’s projected lineup, Kyle Leahy meets a tough challenge while lacking the platoon advantage in most plate appearances in today’s matchup.
  Explain: Right-handed pitchers perform worse against left-handed hitters (and visa-versa). If several hitters hold this advantage against the pitcher, it can have a huge impact on whether he will perform well or struggle on any given day.
• The St. Louis Cardinals have 3 hitters in their projected offense today with a high (i.e. over 27%) underlying K% (per the leading projection system, THE BAT X) (Nolan Gorman, Joshua Baez, Pedro Pages).
  Explain: Teams that have multiple high-strikeout hitters will make it much easier for the opposing pitcher to record strikeouts