The Baltimore Orioles have played the “prove it” game all season, never getting the full credit they deserve as they hold the top record in the American League and second best in all of baseball.
A recent 7-2 road trip still isn’t enough to sway the eyes from a crucial four-game homestand with the Rays this coming weekend. But first, the Orioles must face a St. Louis Cardinals team that is an uncharacteristic 17 games under .500.
Don’t let the Cardinals fool you, though, as the Red Birds recently took two of three from Atlanta and a few weeks ago two of three from Tampa Bay.
The Cards will be looking to spoil the Orioles’ homecoming, where they are 42-26 at Camden Yards and have a 46-33 record against teams with losing records (second most wins in baseball).
For the Orioles, Dean Kremer (12-5, 4.07 ERA) will open the series and will be followed by the returning John Means, who will be making his season debut, and a pitcher to be determined to close the series.
St. Louis will counter with Dakota Hudson (6-1, 4.48 ERA), future Hall of Famer Adam Wainwright (3-11, 8.19 ERA) and former Orioles prospect Drew Rom (0-2, 7.79 ERA), who the O’s traded this season in exchange for Jack Flaherty.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
A lot of people look at this series and consider it an easy tune-up before the big Tampa Bay battle this weekend. That train of thought would be a mistake, as both Atlanta and Tampa Bay have recently lost series to St. Louis.
This is the reason why O’s manager Brandon Hyde becomes the BATTERY ❌-FACTOR for this series.
Hyde’s ability to keep the young Birds focused and making the right moves heading into the Tampa Bay series will be critical to not only winning this series but setting up the showdown with the Rays after.
This series is part of a 17-day stretch in which the O’s will play against Tampa Bay, Houston and Cleveland (all teams fighting for playoff spots) and will be critical to how the Orioles end their season.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUP
All three games have a 6:35 p.m. EST start time and will be played at beautiful Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Will the Orioles protect The Nest, or will the Cardinals take over? Tune into MASN or your local Orioles Radio Network station and cheer our Birds to victory.
How do you see this series playing out? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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