The Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals enter their upcoming three-game series with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, as both clubs attempt to recover from difficult stretches and make one more push toward the playoff picture.
The teams are set to meet Tuesday night in St. Louis, with both sides needing victories to prevent their seasons from slipping further away. Although neither team enters the series in ideal form, Baltimore remains in a considerably stronger position in the Wild Card race.
The Orioles entered Monday five games below .500 but were only two games behind the final American League Wild Card position. The Cardinals, meanwhile, sat at exactly .500 but faced a much steeper challenge, trailing the final National League Wild Card spot by five games.
With the regular season moving deeper into its final weeks, every game carries increased importance.
Baltimore has struggled recently, dropping five of its last seven games. The Orioles suffered another setback Sunday when they fell 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays at home, adding to the pressure surrounding the club as it tries to remain within striking distance of the postseason.
Manager Craig Albernaz emphasized that his team cannot afford to become distracted by the standings or the limited number of games remaining.
According to Albernaz, the Orioles must approach the season one game at a time rather than worrying about the eventual finish line. The manager stressed that the immediate priority is Tuesday’s matchup and giving the club an opportunity to start another winning stretch.
Chris Bassitt is expected to take the mound for Baltimore in the series opener. The veteran right-hander enters with a 4-4 record and a 5.08 ERA and is beginning to show signs of improvement since returning from surgery in June to remove bone spurs from his lower back.
Bassitt has been more effective during his two August starts, allowing five earned runs while striking out nine over 11 innings. The Orioles will hope that recent progress continues as they begin a demanding three-city road trip.
Bassitt has limited history against St. Louis. His most recent start against the Cardinals came in 2025 while he was with the Toronto Blue Jays, when he surrendered four earned runs over seven innings. Overall, he is 2-1 with a 6.92 ERA in five career starts against St. Louis.
The Cardinals enter the series with even greater urgency.
St. Louis has lost three consecutive games after being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in a series that carried major postseason implications. The Cardinals’ latest defeat was particularly painful because they appeared to have the game under control for most of the afternoon.
St. Louis jumped on Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez early, building a 4-0 advantage and carrying that lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. However, Philadelphia produced an extraordinary six-run rally to escape with a 6-4 victory, handing the Cardinals another devastating loss in the final moments of a game they had appeared certain to win.
The Cardinals will now try to put that disappointment behind them as they return home.
Manager Oliver Marmol acknowledged that the team would have preferred to immediately move forward rather than spend an additional day thinking about the Philadelphia collapse. The Cardinals had already suffered multiple late-game defeats against the Phillies during the weekend, making the sweep particularly damaging to their momentum.
St. Louis is also dealing with uncertainty within its pitching staff. Injuries to Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins, combined with an innings restriction on Kyle Leahy, have forced the Cardinals to make adjustments to their rotation.
Left-hander Matthew Liberatore is projected to start the opener. He enters with a 5-11 record and a 5.04 ERA and has shown improvement during August. Liberatore has recorded three quality outings in four appearances this month, posting a 4.03 ERA across 22 1/3 innings.
While St. Louis has struggled to remain consistent, the club has received flashes of excitement from rookie slugger Joshua Baez.
Baez made headlines on Aug. 15 by becoming an instant sensation, hitting three home runs in his first three major league at-bats. He has since added another homer, giving him four in his young career. However, the rookie has cooled considerably, going just 2-for-32 with 14 strikeouts over his last nine games.
Tuesday’s game will mark Baez’s first opportunity to play in front of the St. Louis home crowd, providing another potential storyline for the Cardinals.
The club is also monitoring the health of shortstop Masyn Winn, who has missed four consecutive starts because of a left thumb injury. Winn reportedly underwent additional testing in St. Louis on Sunday night, leaving the Cardinals waiting for more information regarding his availability.
St. Louis also recently placed outfielder Everson Pereira on the injured list because of a left-hand contusion. Pereira was hit by a pitch Friday and had provided valuable offensive energy since being claimed off waivers on Aug. 6.
For both teams, the upcoming series represents more than three ordinary games.
Baltimore is trying to stay within striking distance of the American League Wild Card while overcoming its recent slide. St. Louis, meanwhile, needs to quickly turn around its momentum if it hopes to close a five-game gap in the National League race.
With the postseason picture becoming increasingly crowded and the margin for error shrinking, the Orioles and Cardinals have little choice but to treat every remaining game as an opportunity to revive their playoff dreams.
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