Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction: Can Ke'Bryan Hayes Get Hot Tonight?
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals face off this Monday. Can Ke'Bryan Hayes get hot tonight? Baseball Handicapper Ben Rajavuori breaks down this game.
Ben Rajavuori - August 21, 2023, 4:44 PM EDT
5 minPittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction: Can Ke'Bryan Hayes Get Hot Tonight?
The Pittsburgh Pirates host the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series from PNC Park tonight. The Pirates and Cardinals sit in fourth and fifth place in the NL Central, separated by only .5 games. If the Cardinals win tonight, they will take fourth place from the Pirates. The Cardinals have flown under expectations after winning the NL Central last year, and with the season mostly over with the Cardinals sitting ten games out of a wild card spot, they will send out rookie pitcher Drew Rom to make his MLB debut.
Pirates vs. Cardinals Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: August 21, 2023
- Time: 7:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Drew Rom was drafted in the fourth round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2018, and after being acquired from the Cardinals, he will make his MLB debut tonight. Rom has been in the minor leagues for a few seasons now, and he has had two years of experience (one and a half, more like, including this season) in AAA. In his 27 starts at the AAA level, Rom has a 4.75 ERA with a 1.545 WHIP. He has had some trouble with his command, as he has been averaging a walk every other inning. As a lefty, he has also been struggling against right-handed batters. Righties are batting .286 off Rom in AAA with a .768 OPS.
One righty who should have success against Rom is Ke'Bryan Hayes. Hayes is batting leadoff for the Pirates, and he has a .258 average on the season. He has been much better against lefty pitchers, batting .286 with a .792 OPS on the season. Over the last 30 days, he has been absolutely crushing lefties, posting a .368 batting average and 1.013 OPS against Southpaws. This is the best mark of any Pirate on the team, and Hayes is batting leadoff, meaning he will get maximum opportunities at the plate.
Ke'Bryan Hayes has also been exceptional at home. He loves hitting in PNC Park. Hayes is batting .200 on the road this season with only 12 extra-base hits in 190 at-bats. He only has 163 at-bats at home, and he has 21 extra-base hits and is batting .325 overall. After coming off an injury in July, Hayes has been having the best two weeks of the season so far, posting a .327 batting average with a .971 OPS. He is as hot as ever right now, and he's facing a debuting pitcher giving up a .286 average to right-handed batters. This is a prime spot for Hayes to get an extra-base hit or rack up a few singles.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. St. Louis Cardinals Picks
- Pick: Ke'Bryan Hayes Over 1.5 Bases -125 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
- Sprinkle: Hayes to Hit a Home Run +680 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
MLB Odds
