Has Shohei Ohtani played his final game ever with the Los Angeles Angels? He might have as Ohtani has been shut down for this year due to an oblique injury and also will need Tommy John Surgery, which will keep him from pitching in 2024 but not hitting. Of course, Ohtani is set to become a free agent. The Angels are not in playoff contention. Here are two early-week games involving playoff contenders.

Top MLB Betting Picks of the Week (September 18th, 2023)

MLB Power Rankings: Who wants to win a wild-card berth? https://t.co/hTqEsRjv0M pic.twitter.com/QDfJ9HnP2i

— Ron Bohning (@RonBohning) September 18, 2023

Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals

• When: Monday, September 18, 2023, 7:45 PM ET
• Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
• TV: BSWI, BSMW
• Radio: WTMJ FM 103.3 (Brewers) // KMOX 1120 AM (Cardinals)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Betting Odds: Brewers (-182) // Cardinals (+154)

St. Louis is just playing out the string on the season but Milwaukee is closing in on clinching the NL Central. The Brewers sent struggling rookie outfielder Joey Wiemer to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday to make room for outfielder Blake Perkins, who was activated from the injured list. Wiemer, 24, was the Brewers’ starting center fielder for much of the season. He played quality defense and helped Milwaukee withstand the loss of fellow rookie Garrett Mitchell, who opened the year as the primary center fielder but has been out with a shoulder injury since mid-April.

Cards outfielder Tyler O’Neill was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a sprained right foot. It’s unclear when exactly O’Neill suffered the injury, but he was mired in a 1-for-18 slump over his previous five games. The 27-year-old will be eligible to be reinstated during the final week of the regular season, but the Cardinals could opt to hold him out with nothing of consequence to play for. Juan Yepez was recalled in a corresponding move. He had been riding the longest active hitting streak in minor league baseball, a 17-gamer in Memphis since August 27 (.333/.369/.509, 19-57), while his 43 RBI since August 1 are 2nd-most in all of professional baseball behind Cody Bellinger (45).

The Cardinals have played only three series this season in which they haven’t hit at least one home run: April 28-30 at Los Angeles in a three-game sweep by the Dodgers, May 29-30 in a two-game series vs. Kansas City at Busch Stadium, and June 24-25 across the pond in London against the Cubs.

Adam Wainwright starts for St. Louis as he looks for career win No. 200 and maybe a ticket to the Hall of Fame. Wainwright (4-11) earned the win last Tuesday, allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings against Baltimore. He struck out three. The 42-year-old earned his 199th career win and his first win since June 17. In the 11 outings between wins, Wainwright went 0-10 with a 10.72 ERA, 2.27 WHIP and 25:23 K:BB across 45.1 innings.

This will be his 55th career appearance and 48th start vs. Milwaukee. His 21 career wins vs. the Brewers are his 2nd-most against any MLB opponent, trailing only Pittsburgh (23). His 315.0 career IP vs. Brewers are his most against any team, while his ERA (2.74) ranks 4th all-time (Roger Clemens 2.25; Ryan Dempster 2.65; Dave McNally 2.69). Wainwright has 7 complete games vs. MIL, his most vs. any team (next closest 2 – seven teams).

The Brewers counter with Freddy Peralta (12-8, 3.79). He earned the win last Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits over 6.1 innings against the Marlins. He struck out nine. For the fourth time in his last five starts, Peralta fanned at least nine batters, allowing him to hit the 200-strikeout mark, currently the sixth-highest figure in MLB. He’s been especially dominant across his last nine starts (53.2 innings), boasting a 6-0 record to go along with a 2.01 ERA and an 82:11 K:BB.

MLB Betting Pick: Brewers

Baltimore Orioles vs. Houston Astros

• When: Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 8:10 PM ET
• Where: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
• TV: MASN, ATTH
• Radio: 98 Rock FM (Orioles) // 790AM KBME (Astros)
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Betting Odds: TBA

This could be an American League playoff preview. Both are going to get there; as either the AL East champion or a wild card team for Baltimore or as the AL West champion or a wild card team for Houston. The Orioles can also be the AL’s No. 1 seed but the Astros will not be.

The Orioles have gone 87 consecutive series of at least two decisions (no ties) without being swept. That is the fourth-longest streak in MLB history, trailing the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals (124), 1906-09 Chicago Cubs (115), and 1903-05 New York Giants (105). It’s the longest in franchise history.

Baltimore All-Star closer Felix Bautista threw a bullpen session. It was his first mound workout since he was diagnosed three weeks ago with a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow. The 28-year-old aims to return to the Orioles’ active roster prior to the end of the regular season. Yennier Cano has been filling in as the O’s primary closer.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson is a lock to win AL Rookie of the Year. His 6.0 bWAR and .503 slugging percentage would be the best single-season marks by a rookie in O’s history. He is one stolen base shy of becoming the first rookie in team history with 20+ doubles, 5+ triples, 20+ homers, and 10+ stolen bases.

Houston rookie catcher Yainer Diaz has smacked 22 homers on the season, including 13 of those homers hit while playing as a catcher. The franchise record for homers by a rookie catcher is currently held by C Mitch Meluskey, who hit 14 homers as the Astros backstop in 2000. The Astros lead MLB with 18 back-to-back home run instances. Those are tied with the 1996 Seattle Mariners for the most in a single season in Major League history.

Rookie Hunter Brown is scheduled on the mound for Houston. Brown (11-11, 4.61) earned the win over Oakland last Wednesday, issuing two walks and striking out seven batters over five scoreless and hitless innings. Brown had been struggling coming into Wednesday, posting a 9.56 ERA and 2.06 WHIP over his previous four starts. He’s already thrown a professional-high 146.1 frames on the campaign.

Kyle Gibson gets the call for Baltimore. Gibson (14-9) took the loss last Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over 6.2 innings against St. Louis. He struck out four. Gibson was excellent, but Richie Palacios’ solo home run in the fourth inning proved to be enough to stick him with the loss in a 1-0 defeat. Gibson’s been inconsistent of late, struggling to an 8.16 ERA over his prior five starts. Overall, the 35-year-old right-hander sports a 4.98 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and 144:51 K:BB through 30 starts (175.1 innings) this season.

MLB Betting Pick: Astros

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