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The St. Louis Cardinals face the Baltimore Orioles in the final game of their interleague series. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Cardinals-Orioles prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Orioles took game one of the series, aided by a Cedirc Mullings grand slam in the fifth inning. Gunnar Henderson also homered and the Orioles would score 11 runs en route to an 11-5 win. In game two, Adam Wainwright had one of the best outings of his season, getting the win. He went just five innings but gave up only two runs to get the win. Meanwhile, John Means made his first start since returning from Tommy John surgery. He also went five innings but gave up home runs to Paul Goldschmidt and Richie Palacios in the game. The Orioles would fall 5-3 in game two.
While the Cardinals are 64-81 on the season, and nearing mathematical elimination from the playoffs, the Orioles are the best team in the American League. At 91-53, they are three games up in the American League East. They also need just four more wins to clinch a playoff birth.
Here are the Caridnals-Orioles MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Cardinals-Orioles Odds
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-137)
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+114)
Over: 9.5 (-115)
Under: 9.5 (-105)
How To Watch Cardinals vs. Orioles
TV: BSMW/MASN
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 6:35 PM ET/ 3:35 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
While the Cardinals have been hot on offense as of late, it is not something they have consistently seen. Overall, the Cardinals are 17th in runs scored this year while sitting 13th in batting average, tenth in on-base percentage, and tenth in slugging. Willson Contreras has continued to produce in big ways in the last week. In the last week, he is hitting .500 with a .550 on-base percentage. He has three home runs and that has helped him drive in 11 runs in the last week. Contreras has also scored five times.
Meanwhile, Nolan Gorman is being highly productive. In the last week, he is hitting .316 with a .458 on-base percentage. He has hit a double and a home run leading to three RBIs. Gorman has also stolen a base and scored seven times in the last week. Joining Gorman in coming into this game hot is Richie Palacios. He is hitting .286 in the last week but is getting on base at a .375 rate. He had also hit two home runs, but that resulted in his only two runs scored and his only two RBIs. Further, Lars Nootbar is getting on base a lot. He is reaching base at a .414 rate and scored four times in the last week while driving in three.
Overall, the Cardinals have been great in the last week. They have hit .249 as a team with a .331 on-base percentage. The Cardinals have also stolen nine bases in the last week while hitting nine home runs. They have also outperformed their expected run total. The Cardinals have scored 40 times in the last week on an expected total of just 33.8 runs.
The Cardinals send Drew Rom to the mound today. He is 0-2 on the year with a 7.79 ERA. Rom has now made four starts for the Cardinals. He has gone 5.1 innings or less in all of them, and given up two or more runs in all of them. Meanwhile, he has given up a home run in three of the four starts. Last time out was the first time the Cardinals won a game he started. He went 3.2 innings giving up four runs, but the Cardinals would win 9-4.
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
The Oriole's offense struggled last night, but that is a rarity on the year for them. On the year, the Orioles are sixth in runs scored, while sitting sixth in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, and eighth in slugging. Aaron Hick has been a huge part of that as of late. In the last week, he is hitting .588 with a .632 on-base percentage. He has a home run and a double while scoring six times. Hicks also has eight RBIs in the last week.
Meanwhile, Austin Hays and Gunnar Henderson have been providing a lot of run production. Hays is hitting .409 in the last week while getting on base at a .417 rate. He has a home run and seven RBIs in the last week while scoring seven times. Henderson has also scored seven times in the last week. he has hit two home runs, two doubles, and a triple in that time while hitting .345. Cedric Mullins has also added six RBIs in the last week, with four of them coming on that grand slam.
Overall, the Orioles are hitting .315 in the last week with a .399 on-base percentage. They have also hit 11 home runs and scored 50 runs overall. They have an expected run total of just 45.2 in the last week, as they have hit for power and limited strikeouts.
The Orioles will send Kyle Gibson to the mound today. He is 14-8 on the year with a 5.12 ERA. He has struggled since the start of August though. In six starts he has given up 29 runs in just 35.2 innings of work. That is good for a 7.32 ERA since the start of August. Still, he is 4-2 in those starts, as he has been given ample run support. In his only two losses, he gave up seven and nine runs respectively.
Final Cardinals-Orioles Prediction & Pick
There is not a major pitching edge in this game. While Drew Rom has not been very good and has not made many starts, Kyle Gibson has been getting knocked around a lot as of late. Still, the Orioles are winning with him on the mound. A big reason for that has been their offense. They are averaging an expected seven runs per game right now. The Cardinals will be hard-pressed to score seven runs unless Gibson is horrendous. Last night was a blip on the radar for the Orioles. Take them in this one.
Final Cardinals-Orioles Prediction & Pick: Orioles -1.5 (+114)
