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USATSI

Two NL Central rivals square off on Wednesday, as the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates have split the first two games of their four-game set. Each team will look to add to the win column in St. Louis at 7:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 27, on FS1. 

Those interested in MLB betting at the top sportsbooks can get the latest Pirates vs. Cardinals odds, predictions and player props from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times.

Cardinals ace Sonny Gray (12-6, 4.33 ERA) gets the start here, while the Pirates will give the ball to Carmen Mlodzinski (3-7, 3.89 ERA). Gray has struck out 28 batters in 24 August innings, compiling a 4.13 ERA in four outings this month. Mlodzinski has 10 starts and 16 relief appearances this season for the Pirates. In his last start, he threw four scoreless innings against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 17. 

Gray is the only starter with pitching props available at FanDuel Sportsbook, including a strikeout prop of 6.5 (Over +100, Under -128). The SportsLine Projection Model rates Gray Under 6.5 strikeouts as a 3.5-star play (out of 5 stars), but an even stronger recommendation is Gray Over 1.5 earned runs allowed (-150). Gray is projected to surrender 2.3 earned runs in this start, making the Over a 4.5-star play. 

Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras -- who is currently appealing a six-game suspension for a tirade that included throwing a bat that hit a Cardinals coach after he was ejected from Monday night's game against the Pirates -- has the shortest odds to homer in this contest at +470. St. Louis teammates Alec Burleson (+520), Lars Nootbaar (+540) and Nolan Gorman (+560) are next, followed by Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz at +630.

Here are the SportsLine Projection Model's picks for Pirates vs. Cardinals on Wednesday:

PITTSBURGH PIRATES at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS | 8/27 | 7:45 PM ET

Money line
Pick: Pirates -150
Pittsburgh wins in 45% of simulations, bringing value at these odds

Run line
Pick: Pirates +1.5 (-147)
Pittsburgh covers in 69% of simulations, bringing value at these odds

Over/Under
Pick: Over 7.5 (-101)
The Over hits in 58.2% of simulations

Projected score: Cardinals 4.3, Pirates 4.2