The Baltimore Orioles come to St. Louis on Tuesday night to open a 2-series homestand for the Cardinals, and both teams still have something to play for. The Orioles vs Cardinals series lands with the postseason picture still unsettled, even if neither club can afford many more mistakes.
That is why the search interest is here now: the Cardinals are trying to steady themselves after a sweep by the Phillies, capped by Riley O’Brien being unable to protect a 4-run lead in the 9th inning on Sunday. Baltimore is not rolling into town as a front-runner either, sitting near the bottom of the American League East and 1 game back of the final Wild Card slot.
MLB.com has already lined up the Orioles’ side of the series. Chris Bassitt, 4-4 with a 5.08 ERA and 46 SO, is listed for Tuesday, August 25. Kyle Bradish, 7-12 with a 3.70 ERA and 129 SO, is set for Wednesday, August 26, and Trevor Rogers, 9-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 114 SO, is listed for Thursday, August 27. Bassitt and Bradish each have gone winless in their last 3 starts, while Rogers has won 2 of his last 3 starts.
The Orioles’ offense has also had enough production to keep them in the race, with Pete Alonso leading the club in batting average at.271, hits with 131, home runs with 30 and RBIs with 85. Gunnar Henderson has added 20 home runs and 76 runs scored, while Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo have 16 and 17 home runs, respectively. Even so, the bigger issue for St. Louis is what comes next on the mound, because the Cardinals’ starters were still a bit of a mystery when the series approached.
That uncertainty matters because this is not a harmless midweek set. The Cardinals and Orioles are both still alive in the Wild Card race, and every game between clubs hovering around the cutoff line carries extra weight. With Baltimore’s rotation mapped out and St. Louis coming off a rough weekend, Tuesday night starts a series that could shape how both teams are viewed when the standings tighten again.
