First Pitch: 1:15 PM EDT Venue: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
Weather Outlook (Contextual Inference)
No direct weather data was provided in the sourced material. Mid‑April afternoons in St. Louis typically feature mild temperatures with light winds. This is an inference based on seasonal norms, not a sourced forecast.
Starting Pitching Matchup
Cleveland Guardians — RHP Slade Cecconi
Record: 0–2
ERA: 5.74
WHIP: 1.21
Strikeouts: 14 Cecconi has struggled on the road, allowing all 10 of his earned runs this season away from home.
St. Louis Cardinals — RHP Dustin May
Record: 1–2
ERA: 9.45
WHIP: 1.80
Strikeouts: 11 May showed improvement in his most recent outing, allowing just one earned run after two poor starts.
Team Records & Recent Form
Cleveland Guardians (10–8)
Road Record: 6–6
Last 10 Games: 5–5 (.247 BA, 4.29 ERA, even run differential)
Offensive Profile:
.384 SLG (7th in AL)
Contact‑oriented lineup with low strikeout rates (24th in MLB)
St. Louis Cardinals (9–8)
Home Record: 6–5
Last 10 Games: 5–5 (.232 BA, 5.70 ERA, –16 run differential)
Offensive Profile:
20 HR (5th in MLB), averaging 1.2 HR per game
Strong power metrics led by Jordan Walker
Injury Report
Cleveland Guardians
Gabriel Arias — 10‑day IL (hamstring)
Andrew Walters — 15‑day IL (lat)
St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Pushard — 15‑day IL (knee)
Hunter Dobbins — 15‑day IL (knee)
Lars Nootbaar — 60‑day IL (heels)
Key Player Matchups
Cleveland Guardians
José Ramírez: 4 doubles, 3 HR; still the lineup’s anchor.
Angel Martinez: 13‑for‑38 with 3 doubles and 2 HR over last 10 games.
Chase DeLauter: Low strikeout rate (<18%), strong contact profile.
St. Louis Cardinals
Jordan Walker: 16‑for‑41 with 7 HR over last 10 games; elite exit‑velocity metrics (99th percentile+).
JJ Wetherholt: 3 HR, 8 RBI; multi‑hit performance in Tuesday’s win.
Series History & Context
This is the third and deciding game of the series.
Cardinals won Tuesday’s game 6–5 in 10 innings.
Guardians lead the all‑time series 24–19, including 14–10 at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals have won four of the last five meetings.
Betting Trends
Why St. Louis may win/cover:
Strong home power profile (20 HR).
Guardians’ starter Cecconi has struggled significantly on the road.
Why Cleveland may win/cover:
Contact‑heavy lineup vs. two starters who miss few bats.
Guardians bullpen has an 83.3% save rate.
Game Odds
Cleveland Guardians 8.5
St. Louis Cardinals – 112
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, April 14, 2026
