Result

MLB Early 1st 5 Inning Total - Wednesday

Analysis: Cardinals take on the Pirates in this early matinee contest. A matchup between Sonny Gray and Mitch Keller will paint an interesting picture of opportunity and volatility on the betting menu. It’s that story of a reliable ace in Gray against a workhorse that will eat innings but hasn’t gotten the results that Keller deserves this season. The early innings are a place where the Pirates have consistently overachieved on this slate, usually because Keller has lasted into the middle innings while St. Louis takes advantage of their +0.5 home run support early on. That could happen again here, as Gray does his work on the mound early and the Pirates take their chances. Gray has dominated the early frames all season. He’s gone at least five innings in 12 of 16 starts, allowing three or fewer earned runs in the same span. On the other side, Keller has reached five innings in 16 of his 17 outings, but his league-average WHIP (1.22) and strikeout numbers suggest more traffic on the basepaths than Gray typically allows. The Pirates have played well at home and recently relied on strong early pitching to stay in games-they’ve gone 25-21 at PNC and won five straight overall. The Under-especially through five innings-has been a common theme thanks to Keller’s steady starts and a Cardinals offense that’s managed just one run in this series so far. Jim's Play: 951. Cardinals/Pirates UNDER 4, 1st 5 Innings