Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction for Tuesday August 25 2026

The Baltimore Orioles travel to Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, to face the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 PM ET with coverage on MLB.TV. Baltimore enters the series opener at 63-68 overall and 29-34 on the road, while St. Louis is 66-66 overall and 32-34 at home. Neither club comes into this matchup playing particularly well, with Baltimore dropping three of its last five and St. Louis losing four of five, including three straight. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks throughout the season for more baseball predictions and betting analysis.

Starting Pitchers

Baltimore will start Chris Bassitt, who enters at 4-4 with a 5.08 ERA and 1.62 WHIP across 67.1 innings. He has surrendered 83 hits while recording 46 strikeouts and 26 walks, with seven home runs allowed. St. Louis counters with Matthew Liberatore, who is 5-11 with a 5.04 ERA and 1.44 WHIP through 125 innings. He has allowed 136 hits with 125 strikeouts, 44 walks and 21 home runs surrendered. Neither starter brings particularly strong run-prevention numbers into Tuesday's matchup, although the St. Louis starter has the better WHIP and considerably stronger strikeout production.

Orioles Searching for an Offensive Spark

Baltimore enters Tuesday at 63-68 and has fallen to the bottom of the American League East standings. The Orioles are 29-34 away from home and have lost three of their last five games. They recently dropped a 3-1 decision after winning the previous two games by scores of 3-2 and 5-3. Their recent stretch has included three games in which they scored three runs or fewer, highlighting the offensive inconsistency that has contributed to the sub-.500 record.

Baltimore is batting .235 with 1,020 hits, 583 runs and 159 home runs. The Orioles own a .317 on-base percentage and .396 slugging percentage. Their power production has been noticeably better than St. Louis, with Baltimore holding a 22-home-run advantage and a 14-point edge in slugging percentage. The Orioles have also scored almost exactly as many runs as the Cardinals despite playing one fewer game.

The pitching numbers have been another source of inconsistency. Baltimore carries a 4.19 team ERA and 1.34 WHIP while allowing opponents to bat .254. The staff has accumulated 1,038 strikeouts against 435 walks. Tuesday's matchup could test that staff because the starting numbers provide little margin for error, making Baltimore's ability to generate offense especially important.

Cardinals Try to Stop Three-Game Slide

St. Louis returns to Busch Stadium at 66-66 after a difficult stretch on the road. The Cardinals have lost four of their last five and three consecutive games, with those three defeats coming by scores of 6-4, 12-3 and 7-6. Their lone victory during the five-game sample was a 10-9 decision, so preventing runs has become a significant problem recently.

The Cardinals are hitting .241 with 1,069 hits, 585 runs and 137 home runs. St. Louis owns a .317 on-base percentage and .382 slugging percentage. The Cardinals have the better batting average and more total hits than Baltimore, but the Orioles hold the advantage in home-run power and slugging. The clubs are essentially even in overall scoring, separated by only two runs.

St. Louis also owns a 4.14 team ERA and 1.34 WHIP, with opponents batting .252. The Cardinals have recorded 1,015 strikeouts while issuing 446 walks. Those numbers are remarkably similar to Baltimore's overall pitching profile. The Cardinals' primary opportunity comes from returning home and facing an opponent that has also struggled to sustain offensive production.

Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals Picks and Prediction

Pick: Baltimore Orioles Moneyline

There is very little separating these teams statistically, which makes Baltimore's superior power production appealing in a matchup featuring two vulnerable starting pitching profiles. The Orioles have hit 159 home runs compared with 137 for St. Louis and own the better slugging percentage despite their lower batting average. St. Louis has also allowed 25 runs over its last three games and enters on a three-game losing streak. Baltimore has its own weaknesses, but the Orioles appear to have the offensive profile better suited to exploiting a game in which neither starter has consistently prevented runs. Take Baltimore on the moneyline.

Pick: Over 8.5

The pitching matchup points toward the Over if the total is set around 8.5. Both starters enter with ERAs above 5.00, while Baltimore has a 4.19 team ERA and St. Louis sits at 4.14. The Cardinals' last four games have produced 10, 15, 13 and 19 combined runs, and their recent inability to suppress scoring is difficult to ignore. Baltimore's power advantage also creates the possibility of crooked innings against a starter who has surrendered 21 home runs. Take the Over if the total is set at 8.5.

This game preview was completed before play on Monday, August 24, 2026.