Orioles-Cardinals series preview: One more pivotal road trip

Baltimore takes its act on the road, starting a series today against a .500 Cardinals team that was just swept by the Phillies and has recently been given a 2.3% chance of making the playoffs. It's the middle leg of the Orioles' second three-city road trip of the month: after three games in St. Louis, they'll play three games against the Athletics and the Colorado Rockies apiece.

The Orioles enter this series at 63-68, 2.5 games back of Cleveland , which holds the third American League wild card spot. Houston is a half game back, Toronto and Minnesota sit two games back, and Seattle three back. There's plenty of mediocrity to go around, but the Orioles still have three games left against Cleveland and six against Toronto this season, so there's plenty of room left in this crowded race.

St. Louis, for its part, has been all but ruled out after a devastating sweep at the hands of the Phillies. The Cardinals begin Tuesday 5 ½ games back of the San Diego Padres for the NL's third wild card spot, a gap that keeps getting wider.