Cardinals Are Miles Better Than Orioles

Cardinals vs. Orioles, 6:35 ET

It was an ugly day on the diamond for me yesterday. I had two plays and both of them went down the tubes. It happens, but it has happened much more this season than I wanted. Perhaps that means I'll get really hot at some point, or maybe it means I just have a bad read on this year. I'm not quite sure. Maybe it means nothing. At the end of the year, I just want profit and to this point in the campaign, I can't say I have been consistent enough to provide that. Still, not a terrible overall standing, but not where I want to be. Let's look to the sky for some answers and take on a game between the birds as the Cardinals face the Orioles. 

The Cardinals are one of the few teams that I feel like I've been pretty solid with this season. I have always had respect for St. Louis as a Cubs fan. I don't typically like the team, but I do usually recognize that this franchise knows what they are doing when it comes to building a winning ball club. The past few years haven't quite reflected that, but this season they are doing well. The team is 31-24 and will be the main challenger to the Cubs for winning the NL Central. If they plan to do that, they will need to get wins from guys like today's starter, Miles Mikolas. If you've read me for the past few years, you'll know I was a Mikolas supporter, almost to a fault. I fell off his bandwagon a bit last year, but he has put together a nice campaign to this point and might be getting me back on. Mikolas is 4-2 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He has pitched better on the road this season than at home, and he is currently in his best form, going 22.1 innings this month and only allowing five earned runs over four starts. Orioles hitters are hitting just 2-for-7 against Mikolas.

The Orioles are a team that has cost me money this year. I thought they were having an early-season swoon and they were going to turn it around. I couldn't have been more wrong. The truth is, the Orioles are just a bad baseball team. They currently are 16 games under .500 and are on pace to lose around 100 games. This was a team that was winning roughly 100 games the past two seasons. It seems to me like the hitting has fallen off of the cliff, but the pitching staff is the bigger issue. It was always a bit of a concern, but this year the team ERA is at 5.48. Only the Rockies, who are historically bad, have a worse team ERA. Cade Povich is taking the pill for the Orioles today. He's been decent, I guess, with a 1-3 record, 4.86 ERA, and a 1.45 WHIP. He has been significantly worse at home, though, allowing 17 earned runs in 22.2 innings. I suppose, if we want to look at it with any type of positive spin, his worst start accounted for seven of the runs, which means he has allowed 10 earned in 19.1 innings. That, to me, is still not great. He's never faced the Cardinals. 

This should be a victory for the Cardinals. I think a lot of things are lining up for St. Louis in this game. First off, the Orioles are not playing good baseball this season. The Cardinals have the pitching edge and advantage here. The hitting for St. Louis is more reliable. I'm taking the Cardinals to win this one. I wouldn't be surprised to see a first five and full game win for them. 

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