Orioles vs. Cardinals: Picks, predictions, how to watch Thursday’s game

The Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals square off on Thursday with first pitch set for 1:15 PM EST. The game takes place at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and will only be available on local TV or through an MLB.tv subscription. The Orioles will employ a bullpen game, beginning with Bryan Baker. The Cardinals will start Steven Matz.

While the Orioles have a 13-18 record, they had been playing some great baseball before Tuesday night. Cedric Mullins has been hot lately as he’s 5-8 with a homerun and a stolen base in the series so far. Surprisingly, the Orioles pitching staff has been stellar this season as well. Their team ERA is 3.82, but the bullpen has been their biggest strength.

The Cardinals have been good this year and that was expected. Their best hitter has been Nolan Arenado who will have a chance at MVP if he keeps playing like he has been. So far, he’s hitting .315 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs. Pitching wise, the Cardinals have a 3.42 ERA which ranks 9th in the MLB.

Orioles vs. Cardinals

Pitchers: Bryan Baker vs. Steven Matz
First pitch: 1:15 PM EST
Orioles local broadcast: MASN 2
Cardinals local broadcast: Bally Sports Midwest
Live stream: MLB.tv (subscription)
Moneyline odds: STL -200, BAL +175

Picks & predictions

Moneyline pick: STL -200

The Orioles’ bullpen hasn’t been that bad this year, which is a surprise. And Matz got obliterated his last time out (eight earned runs in two innings at San Francisco). So if you don’t like the value, there is a reason to go with the O’s here. But if you want to play it safe — and I do more often than not — you have to take the Cards.

Player prop pick: Juan Yepez OVER 1.5 total bases (+130)

You know about Paul Goldschmidt, Tyler O’Neill, Nolan Arenado, etc. But are you aware of this rookie outfielder? Yepez has been crushing it since making his MLB debut earlier this month, slashing .444/.483/.778 (12-for-27) with three doubles, two homers and four RBIs in seven games. He’s now batting cleanup for St. Louis. Ride the hot streak.

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