Overview

• Friday’s opener at Progressive Field is set for 7:10 p.m. EDT with Luis Ortiz (4-8, 4.30 ERA) against Sonny Gray (7-2, 3.72 ERA)
• The Guardians have nine players on the injured list—including eight pitchers and outfielder Will Brennan—and Jose Ramirez is day-to-day with a forearm strain
• Cleveland holds a 20-17 home record and boasts a 27-5 mark in games when it out-hits opponents this season
• Despite missing RF Jordan Walker, C-DH Ivan Herrera and LHP Zack Thompson, the Cardinals sit at 44-38 overall with a .253 team batting average and have won seven of their last 10 games
• Last year’s matchups saw Ramirez bat .417 with two homers and five RBI against St. Louis, underscoring his threat in the series