If familiarity breeds contempt, there should be animosity aplenty on Thursday when the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals meet at Busch Stadium.
The Pirates will give the ball to starter Ross Ohlendorf in this one. Righthander Ohlendorf is 0-0 this season with a 0.00 ERA.
Starting this game for the Cardinals will be Chris Carpenter. The righthander has a 0.00 ERA to go along with a 0-0 record this season.
Oddsmakers currently have the Cardinals listed as 190-moneyline favorites versus the Pirates, while the game's total has not yet been posted.
The Pirates belted out 17 hits and defeated the Cardinals 7-4 on Wednesday, as +155 underdogs. The game's 11 runs made it OVER the posted over/under (8.5).
Jack Wilson went 4-for-5 at the plate for the Pirates and drove in two runs. Zach Duke allowed three runs over 6 1-3 innings of work for the win, and Matt Capps earned his second save.
Joe Thurston had two hits and drove in one run for the Cardinals, who were favored at -175. Todd Wellemeyer allowed five runs off 12 hits over five innings in the loss.
Team records:
Pittsburgh: 2-1 SU
St. Louis: 1-2 SU
Pittsburgh most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Cincinnati are 5-5
After playing St. Louis are 4-6
After a win are 3-7

St. Louis most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Houston are 4-6
After playing Pittsburgh are 5-5
After a loss are 3-7
A few trends to consider:
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
St. Louis is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
St. Louis is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Next up:
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, Friday, April 10
St. Louis home to Houston, Friday, April 10