MLB Game Preview: St. Louis Cardinals (64-66) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (62-67)

Game Info

• Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, Florida

Probable Pitching Matchup

• St. Louis Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (6-10, 4.13 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 93 strikeouts)
• Tampa Bay Rays: Ryan Pepiot (8-10, 3.95 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 146 strikeouts)

Team Records & Recent Trends

Team	Overall	Home/Road	Last 5 Games	Last 10 Games
Rays	62-67	33-33 H	W-L-L-L-L	5-5, .260 BA, 5.46 ERA, outscored by 12
Cardinals	64-66	29-36 A	L-W-L-W-W	3-7, .248 BA, 5.63 ERA, outscored by 10

These records and recent trends are based on Bing sports data and ESPN’s pregame analysis.

Season Series

This marks the third meeting between the Cardinals and Rays in the 2025 season, with both clubs eager to gain the edge in the early returns of their head-to-head slate.

Key Player Matchups

• Junior Caminero (TB): 9-for-40 (.225) with a double and four home runs in his last 10 games
• Brandon Lowe (TB): 13 doubles, 25 home runs and 63 RBI on the season
• Alec Burleson (STL): .285 AVG with 15 home runs, 33 walks and 59 RBI for the Cardinals
• Pedro Pages (STL): 14-for-34 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in his last 10 games

Injury Report

• Tampa Bay Rays:
  • Yandy Díaz (day-to-day, hamstring)
  • Stuart Fairchild (60-Day IL, oblique)
  • Ha-Seong Kim (10-Day IL, back)
  • Taylor Walls (10-Day IL, groin)
  • Jonny DeLuca (10-Day IL, hamstring)
  • Jonathan Aranda (10-Day IL, wrist)
  • Manuel Rodríguez (60-Day IL, forearm)
  • Hunter Bigge (60-Day IL, lat)
  • Richie Palacios (60-Day IL, knee)
  • Shane McClanahan (60-Day IL, tricep)
  • Alex Faedo (60-Day IL, shoulder)
  • Nathan Lavender (60-Day IL, elbow)
• St. Louis Cardinals:
• Brendan Donovan (10-Day IL, groin)
• Victor Scott II (10-Day IL, ankle)
• Nolan Arenado (10-Day IL, shoulder)
• John King (15-Day IL, oblique)
• Zack Thompson (60-Day IL, lat)

How to Watch

• TV: ESPN
• Live Stream: ESPN+ (regional blackout rules apply)

With both clubs hovering around .500 and jockeying for late-season relevance, Sunday’s tilt at Steinbrenner Field offers a tantalizing pitching duel and plenty of power-bat intrigue. Whether you’re tracking Liberatore vs. Pepiot or riding Junior Caminero’s hot streak, this matchup is pivotal for momentum as September looms.