Pittsburgh Pirates defeat St. Louis Cardinals 5-4: Recap & Betting Results
Sun, Aug 30, 2026 · MLB · Pittsburgh Pirates 5, St. Louis Cardinals 4
The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis Cardinals covered the run line as 1.5-run underdogs. The game went over the closing total of 8, with 9 runs combined. AiQ's player props in this game went 0-2.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals final score and game recap
The Pittsburgh Pirates won by 1 run.
The leading performers, from the box score:
- Braxton Ashcraft (Pittsburgh Pirates): 5.0 innings, 2 earned runs, 3 strikeouts.
- Esmerlyn Valdez (Pittsburgh Pirates): 1-for-4, 1 home run, 2 RBIs, 1 run.
- Matthew Liberatore (St. Louis Cardinals): 5.2 innings, 3 earned runs, 9 strikeouts.
- Thomas Saggese (St. Louis Cardinals): 3-for-4, 2 runs.
Who covered the spread in Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals?
The St. Louis Cardinals covered the run line as 1.5-run underdogs, losing by 1 run.
The run line opened and closed at Pittsburgh Pirates -1.5.
Did Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals go over or under the total?
The game went over: 9 runs combined against a closing total of 8, over by 1.
The total opened and closed at 8.
How did AiQ's Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals predictions do?
AiQ's player props in this game went 0-2.
- Player props: 0-2, -$200 on $100 a pick at the listed prices.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals player prop results
AiQ's player prop picks went 0-2 in this game, -$200 on $100 a pick at the listed prices.
- Braxton Ashcraft (Pittsburgh Pirates): over 4.5 strikeouts at -130, finished with 3, a loss.
- Matthew Liberatore (St. Louis Cardinals): under 6.5 strikeouts at +125, finished with 9, a loss.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals odds: sportsbook value and line movement
Shortly before the start, the consensus moneyline had the Pittsburgh Pirates at -125 and the St. Louis Cardinals at +110. With the bookmaker's margin removed, that made the Pittsburgh Pirates a 54% favorite. The Pittsburgh Pirates won as the favorite at -125: $80 profit on a $100 bet.
Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals betting trends: 2026 season
This result left the Pittsburgh Pirates 67-71 in the 2026 regular season (34-32 at home, 33-39 away or at neutral sites). Against the run line, they covered in 64 of 137 games with a closing line on file. Their games went over the closing total 74 times and under 58 times, with 5 pushes. That made it two straight wins for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
This result left the St. Louis Cardinals 68-70 in the 2026 regular season (34-38 at home, 34-32 away or at neutral sites). Against the run line, they covered in 75 of 137 games with a closing line on file. Their games went over the closing total 59 times and under 70 times, with 8 pushes. That made it two straight losses for the St. Louis Cardinals.
What's next for Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals?
Next for the Pittsburgh Pirates: the San Francisco Giants at home on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Next for the St. Louis Cardinals: at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.