The Orioles open a nine-game road trip in St. Louis with a simple task in front of them: keep stacking wins if they want to stay in the playoff chase during the final month or so of the season. That makes this one feel like the kind of game they need to grab, even with a solid Cardinals club waiting at home.
The matchup starts with a potentially favorable look for Baltimore. St.
Louis is sending left-hander Matthew Liberatore to the mound, and that could work in the Orioles’ favor given how much better they’ve handled southpaws in recent months. Coby Mayo is right in the middle of that story again, batting cleanup and carrying a 1.105 OPS against lefties this year.
He’s also been productive overall since the break, posting an .854 OPS in the second half.
Baltimore is countering with Chris Bassitt, who is trying to make it three straight decent outings since coming off the injured list. Since returning from back problems, he has allowed five runs across 11 innings. The off day on Monday means the full Orioles bullpen should be available, but getting more length from Bassitt would still go a long way.
The Orioles’ lineup also features Jackson Holliday leading off at second, Pete Alonso batting second at first, and Gunnar Henderson in the three-hole at shortstop. After Mayo, Christian Encarnacion-Strand hits fifth at third, followed by Samuel Basallo behind the plate, Christian Franklin in center, Dylan Beavers in left, and Leody Taveras in right.
St. Louis will counter with JJ Wetherholt leading off at shortstop, followed by Iván Herrera, Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, Joshua Báez, Nolan Gorman, Ramón Urías, Nathan Church, and José Fermin. Liberatore enters at 5-11 with a 5.04 ERA, while Bassitt is 4-4 with a 5.08 ERA.
Baltimore will be looking to get the trip started on the right foot.
In Other News...
Orioles Fans Should Be Worried About Heston Kjerstads Future
Heston Kjerstads place in the Orioles future has become a real point of concern, even with his recent production at Triple-A. The former second-overall pick has not appeared in the major leagues since June 6, 2025, and his big-league opportunities have remained limited, leaving him in an awkward spot for a player who was supposed to be part of the organizations long-term core.
What makes the situation harder to ignore is that Kjerstad has been performing well in Norfolk without finding a clear path back to Baltimore. The Orioles have not carved out a role for him, and with no official word on their plans, the lack of opportunity is starting to look just as significant as the bat he is showing in the minors. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Alonso Is Giving The Orioles Something Gunnar Henderson Needed
Pete Alonso has quietly become one of the more useful voices in the Orioles clubhouse, and not just because of what he has done at the plate. Baltimore teammates and coaches have taken notice of the way he has been working with Gunnar Henderson, offering hitting advice drawn from his own experience while also bringing the kind of veteran presence that can steady a young lineup through the grind of a season. Hitting coach Dustin Lind has pointed to Alonso as a valuable resource, the sort of player whose impact shows up in more places than the box score.
The timing matters, too. Alonso is coming off his 30th home run of the season, a reminder that he is still producing offensively while taking on a mentoring role behind the scenes. For Henderson, having a proven hitter willing to share what he has learned gives Baltimore another layer of support as the Orioles keep leaning on their core to grow together, and Alonsos influence is becoming part of that picture. [Read more 🡒]
Gunnar Hendersons Struggles Just Became A Much Bigger Orioles Problem
Gunnar Hendersons 2026 season has become one of the more surprising subplots in Baltimore, not because of a lack of opportunity but because the production has simply not followed. The Orioles have continued to put him in the middle of the lineup, yet his struggles have shown up in the places that matter most for a player expected to anchor an offense, especially on the road and with runners in scoring position.
The numbers have only sharpened the concern, with his advanced and traditional production both sitting near the bottom among major leaguers with similar playing time. Even beyond the box score, the frustration has been visible, which is part of why this has grown from a bad stretch into a bigger organizational issue, one that could even affect how the Orioles evaluate his value when the offseason arrives. [Read more 🡒]