Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Baltimore Orioles visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at Busch Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 2:15 PM ET. Baltimore enters at 64-68, fourth in the AL East and 2.5 games behind Cleveland for the final American League Wild Card spot. St. Louis is 66-67, third in the NL Central and five games behind San Diego for the final National League Wild Card position. The Orioles opened the series with a 13-1 win Tuesday and have won three of their last four games, while St. Louis has dropped four straight. Cash in on Thursday baseball with our free MLB picks.

Baltimore Orioles Look to Build on Big Win

Baltimore produced one of its best offensive performances of the month Tuesday, collecting 13 runs in the series opener. The Orioles have won three of their last four, beating Tampa Bay 5-3 and 3-2 before the 13-1 victory in St. Louis. Baltimore has scored 596 runs this season while batting .236 with a .318 on-base percentage and .398 slugging percentage.

Pete Alonso has been Baltimore’s top run producer, batting .276 with 31 home runs, 89 RBI and a .364 on-base percentage. Gunnar Henderson has added 20 homers and 51 RBI, while Taylor Ward owns a team-best .383 on-base percentage. The Orioles are 30-34 on the road and have a minus-23 run differential. Baltimore’s pitching staff ranks 17th in MLB with a 4.17 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

Injuries: Tyler O'Neill (Day-To-Day), Blaze Alexander (10-Day IL), Felix Bautista (60-Day IL), Ryan Helsley (60-Day IL), Ryan Mountcastle (60-Day IL).

St. Louis Cardinals Try to End Losing Streak

St. Louis enters Thursday on a four-game losing streak after dropping three straight in Philadelphia before Tuesday’s 13-1 loss to Baltimore. The Cardinals allowed 38 runs across those four defeats, including at least six in every game. St. Louis is 32-35 at home and has scored 586 runs while allowing 600, producing a minus-14 run differential.

Jordan Walker has supplied the Cardinals’ biggest power threat with 27 home runs while batting .287 with 96 RBI. Alec Burleson is hitting a team-high .291 with 21 homers and 96 RBI, while Ivan Herrera owns a .358 on-base percentage. St. Louis is batting .241 with a .316 on-base percentage and .382 slugging percentage. The pitching staff ranks 19th in MLB with a 4.21 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.

Injuries: Masyn Winn (10-Day IL), Everson Pereira (10-Day IL), Andre Pallante (15-Day IL), Hunter Dobbins (15-Day IL), Max Rajcic (60-Day IL).

Pitching Matchup

Baltimore Orioles – Trevor Rogers

Rogers is 9-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 132.2 innings. The left-hander has allowed 128 hits, 36 walks and 14 home runs while striking out 114. Rogers has kept his walk total manageable despite a substantial workload, while his 1.24 WHIP is lower than Baltimore’s team mark of 1.34.

St. Louis Cardinals – Undecided

St. Louis had not announced a starting pitcher for Thursday’s series finale.

Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals Game Pick

• Baltimore Orioles

Recent results give Baltimore the stronger case entering the series finale. The Orioles have won three of their last four and opened this series by beating St. Louis 13-1, while the Cardinals have dropped four consecutive games. Baltimore also has a confirmed starter in Rogers, who owns a 4.14 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through 132.2 innings. St. Louis has not announced its Thursday starter. With the Orioles only 2.5 games from the final AL Wild Card spot, Baltimore is the play in this interconference showdown.

Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals Over/Under Pick

• Over

Recent scoring trends make the over the preferred total direction for Thursday. St. Louis has allowed 38 runs during its four-game losing streak, surrendering 13 to Baltimore, six to Philadelphia, 12 to Philadelphia, and seven to Philadelphia. The Orioles showed their ability to capitalize by scoring 13 runs in Tuesday’s opener. St. Louis also enters with a 4.21 team ERA and has not named Thursday’s starter. Baltimore’s recent production combined with the Cardinals’ pitching problems supports another game that cashes over the closing line.