Cardinals vs. Pirates Prediction, Odds, Probable Pitchers and Prop Bets for Tuesday, July 1

Paul Skenes is coming off one of his worst starts of the 2025 season – allowing four runs in four innings of work – but he’ll look to bounce back against the division rival St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, July 1.

St. Louis has Andre Pallante on the mound for this matchup, and the veteran right-hander enters this start with a 4.43 ERA in 16 appearances. 

Skenes has made two starts against the Cardinals this season, allowing five runs in one and two in the other, but he still has an elite 2.12 ERA for the 2025 season.

Can he lead the Pirates to a win as home favorites tonight?

Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Tuesday’s Game 2 of this three-game set. 

Cardinals vs. Pirates Odds, Run Line and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Run Line

• Cardinals +1.5 (-158)
• Pirates -1.5 (+129)

Moneyline

• Cardinals: +140
• Pirates: -171

Total

• 7.5 (Over +102/Under -123)

Cardinals vs. Pirates Probable Pitchers

• St. Louis: Andre Pallante (5-4, 4.43 ERA)
• Pittsburgh: Paul Skenes (4-7, 2.12 ERA)

Cardinals vs. Pirates How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, July 1
• Time: 6:40 p.m. EST
• Venue: PNC Park
• How to Watch (TV): SportsNet PT, FDSMW
• Cardinals record: 47-39
• Pirates record: 36-50

Cardinals vs. Pirates Best MLB Prop Bets

Pirates Best MLB Prop Bet

• Paul Skenes UNDER 4.5 Hits Allowed (-120)

This season, Skenes only has five starts where he’s allowed more than four hits, and he did not allow five or more hits in any outing in the month of June.

The Pirates star held the Cardinals to three hits in six innings in their last meeting back in early May, and he’s given up 0.91 walks and hits per inning pitched this season.

Skenes has an expected batting average against of just .205 (90th percentile in MLB), so I wouldn't be shocked to see him shut down the Cards on Tuesday. 

Cardinals vs. Pirates Prediction and Pick

The Pirates won the series opener between these teams 7-0, and I think we could be in line for another lower-scoring game with Skenes on the mound.

So far in 2025, Skenes has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14 of his 17 outings, and while the Pirates are just 8-9 in those games, they have been an UNDER machine. Pittsburgh has combined for seven or fewer runs in 10 of Skenes’ starts, and a big reason why is the team’s subpar offense.

The Pirates rank 26th in MLB in runs scored and 28th in OPS, going 46-37-3 to the UNDER in the 2025 season. 

Even though St. Louis is one of the better OVER teams in MLB (44-38-4), I don’t know if I can trust this offense to get to Skenes for a second time this season. After struggling in his first outing against the Redbirds, Skenes allowed just two runs and three hits in six innings of work against the Cards in May. 

I’ll bet on a low-scoring game between these NL Central rivals. 

Pick: UNDER 7.5 (-123 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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