Welcome to the St. Louis Cardinals vs Baltimore Orioles Series Preview.
Starting Monday, September 11, and ending Wednesday, September 13, the St. Louis Cardinals face the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game series in Baltimore.
This is the first and only time these two teams will play against each other this season. They last competed in May 2022, and the Orioles won the series two games to one, but the Cardinals outscored them by six runs.
The Cardinals have won two series in a row against tough opponents after beating the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. Willson Contreras carried the team by scoring three runs and six RBI.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Baltimore Orioles Series Preview
Probable Pitchers
Monday: Dakota Hudson (6-1, 4.43 ERA) vs. Dean Kremer (12-5, 4.07 ERA) (5:35 PM CDT)
Hudson earned the win against the Braves his last time out. He allowed five earned runs, and struck out two batters.
Kremer has a 4.07 ERA and 1.29 WHIP on the season. He is coming off a 4.2-inning outing versus the Los Angeles Angels. He struck out five batters and didn’t allow any runs.
Tuesday: Adam Wainwright (3-11, 8.19 ERA) vs. John Means (2023 debut) (5:35 PM CDT)
Wainwright stumbled in his last start by allowing six earned runs off four home runs in 5.2 innings against the Braves. It won’t get any easier against the Orioles, as they have scored the eighth-most runs in MLB this season.
Means is set to make his 2023 MLB debut. His last appearance was on April 13, 2022. He tore his Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in this game and later received Tommy John Surgery. He has a career 3.81 ERA and finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2019.
Wednesday: Drew Rom (0-2, 7.79 ERA) vs. Kyle Gibson (14-8, 5.12 ERA) (5:35 PM CDT)
Rom continues to struggle with the Cardinals after he allowed four earned runs in 3.2 innings against the Cincinnati Reds. Rom may be removed from the rotation by the end of the year.
Gibson is having an inconsistent season with the Baltimore Orioles. His 14-8 record is solid, but his 5.12 ERA shows he’s allowed runs at a high rate. The veteran has a 4.09 FIP, indicating he’s not as bad as the ERA shows.
Top Performers to Watch
Willson Contreras
Contreras carried the Cardinals in two wins this series by going 3-for-8 with two home runs. He scored two runs and three RBI. This increased his season slash line to .256/.350/.459 with a 123 wRC+.
Arenado went 3-for-12 with four runs and one RBI in the previous series. Arenado was much better in these last three games than the previous ten games. In this period, he recorded just six hits in 43 plate appearances.
Opposing Players to Watch
The 22-year-old Henderson is a top candidate for American League Rookie of the Year. He’s slashing .254/.326/.484 with a 120 wRC+ in 537 plate appearances. Over the last 14 days, he’s slashing .244/.310/.509 and is tied for the team lead with 11 runs.
Santander is slashing .347/.429/.633 with a 191 wRC+ over the last 14 days. He’s belted three home runs, scored 11 runs, and led the team with 13 RBI in this span. Santander has 27 home runs and 35 doubles on the year.
Projected St. Louis Cardinals Record This Series: 2-1
I predict the Cardinals will continue winning and earn their third straight series win against a formidable opponent.
The Orioles (90-52) have the second-best record in baseball, behind only the Braves (93-49). Over the last 15 days, the Orioles have scored the sixth-best OPS and the second-most runs in baseball.
On the other hand, the Cardinals ranked 20th in OPS and 13th in runs over the last 15 days. Despite these differences, I believe the Cardinals will win two games in this series.
Check out my work over at FantasySixPack.net.
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