Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction, 5/22/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals

Date: Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Location: Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO

TV: MASN

Odds/Point Spread: Baltimore (-152) St. Louis (+128)

Busch Stadium is the site where the St. Louis Cardinals (21-26) will attempt to beat the Baltimore Orioles (29-16) on Wednesday. The line on this contest has the Orioles at -152 while the Cardinals are opening at +128. The over/under has been set at 9. The men taking the mound will be John Means and Kyle Gibson.

As a team, the Baltimore Orioles are knocking in 5.0 runs per outing, which has them sitting at 4th in MLB. They have a total of 221 runs while holding a team OBP of .306. The Orioles have hit 76 two-baggers as a squad and have smacked 68 baseballs out of the park. They have accounted for 212 runs batted in as well as 373 base knocks over the course of the season, while their average at the plate is at .247. Baltimore has a slugging rate of .446 and have been called out on strikes 359 times, while drawing a walk on 115 occasions.

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The Orioles hold a team ERA of 3.25 this season (5th in the league), and the staff has struck out 386 batters. Orioles pitchers have surrendered 42 home runs and also 163 total runs (3rd in the league). They have walked 125 opposing hitters and their FIP comes in at 3.63 as a team so far this year. Baltimore has given up 326 hits (7.3 per 9 innings) in addition to 145 earned runs. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 3.09 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.12.

The Orioles relievers have earned a save rate of 58.3% and has entered the game in 63 save situations. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 73 base runners for the year with 26.0% of those players earned a run for their team. Orioles pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 60 times as well as having 60 appearances in high leverage situations. The Orioles have dispatched 161 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign. The bullpen have earned 39 holds over the course of the season (1st in the league). They have accumulated 14 saves over the course of the season and have blown 10 of 24 chances to get a save.

The Orioles have turned 72.5% of balls in play into outs out of their 3,690 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 2nd in professional baseball. The Baltimore Orioles have 1,230 putouts at this point in the season, as well as 417 assists and 16 errors. Their fielding percentage is at .990 which puts them in 2nd in baseball, and have accumulated 32 double plays.

Means (23-26 win-loss record in his career) has earned a FIP of 4.56 while he has gone up against 1,609 opposing hitters in the major leagues. He has allowed 341 hits (7.7 hits per 9 innings) and has 77 walks. His earned run average is 3.71 (164 ER's allowed) and he has a career WHIP of 1.050. Means has thrown 398 innings and is sitting with 333 K's during his career.

St. Louis is sitting with 38 home runs over the course of the season to go along with 163 runs batted in. They have put up 71 doubles, while taking a walk 157 times as well as putting up 175 runs. The St. Louis Cardinals have accounted for a team on-base percentage of .308 as well as a batting average of .232 on the season. The Cardinals have a team slugging percentage of .359 and they score 3.80 runs per outing (25th in the league). They have been called out on strikes on 401 occasions (15th in baseball) and have totaled 356 base hits.

The Cardinals have a WHIP of 1.339 and have a FIP of 4.14 as a unit this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 8.50 (382 strikeouts against 133 free passes). They come in at 25th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 411. They have allowed 56 HR's and they yield 4.96 runs per 9 innings (25th in the league). The St. Louis pitching staff have conceded 224 runs so far this season while having an ERA of 4.50 (203 earned runs yielded).

With 56 save situations, the Cardinals have earned 36 holds in addition to 5 blown saves. St. Louis has called on relievers to take the mound in 20 save chances and they have walked away with 15 saves. Their relievers have come in 45 times in high leverage situations in addition to 48 occasions with base runners. St. Louis relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 42.4% out of their 66 inherited base runners. They are ranked 3rd in MLB holding a save rate of 75.0%, and they have sent 149 bullpen pitchers onto the field on the season.

Out of their 3,741 innings played, the Cardinals have earned a defensive efficiency of 68.2% (25th in pro baseball). The St. Louis Cardinals have gotten 49 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .987 (9th in pro baseball). The Cardinals have accrued 431 assists, 22 errors and have amassed 1,247 putouts this year.

In his career, Gibson has conceded 1,794 hits while totaling 1,402 K's in 1,751 innings pitched. He has conceded a total of 881 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.374 and a FIP of 4.3. His K/BB ratio is 2.29 and he has faced 7,502 opposing hitters during his pro baseball career. Gibson (107-102 career win-loss record) holds a 4.53 ERA and has given up 9.2 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Baltimore (-152)

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