Baltimore Orioles vs St. Louis Cardinals — Recap

📰Game Recap

The St. Louis Cardinals secured a hard-fought victory over the Baltimore Orioles, building an early lead with a pair of multi-run home runs and then fending off a late-game rally. Baltimore, favored coming into the contest by the pregame market and SportsFBI's proprietary model, chipped away at a five-run deficit but ultimately fell short as St. Louis added a crucial insurance run in the eighth inning.

The Cardinals wasted no time establishing control, with Jordan launching a 416-foot three-run homer to center in the bottom of the second inning, scoring Burleson and Báez. An equally potent shot came in the fourth, when Urías connected for a 401-foot two-run blast to center, extending St. Louis's advantage to five runs. Baltimore responded in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Cowser, bringing Encarnacion-Strand home, but St. Louis quickly regained their five-run cushion when Burleson grounded out later that inning, allowing Fermín to score.

Baltimore refused to concede, mounting a significant comeback attempt that centered around the seventh inning. Coby Mayo delivered the Orioles' largest scoring punch, smashing a 446-foot three-run home run to center in the seventh, cutting the deficit to two runs. Another run came across in the top of the eighth on a Henderson double that scored Holliday, making it a tense one-run game. However, St. Louis answered immediately in the bottom of the eighth; Church singled to left, driving in Urías and restoring a two-run lead that would prove decisive. During the Orioles' rally, Gordon Graceffo was critical for the Cardinals, tossing three scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts to keep the lead intact.

Ultimately, St. Louis's early power display and timely eighth-inning response proved too much for the Orioles to overcome, allowing the Cardinals to secure the upset win. The Baltimore Orioles now stand at 65-69, while the St. Louis Cardinals improved their record to 67-68.