The Orioles got the win they needed in St. Louis, but it came wrapped in a mess that started with Kyle Bradish and dragged all the way into the ninth inning.
Baltimore built a 7-0 lead after two innings at Busch Stadium on Wednesday, then watched it nearly disappear before hanging on for an 8-7 victory over the Cardinals. Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered the go-ahead blow, ripping his fourth hit of the night to bring home Samuel Basallo in the top of the ninth and seal the series win.
The early surge looked like more than enough. Baltimore had piled up 20 runs in 11 innings after Tuesday’s 13-1 blowout to open a key nine-game road trip, and Pete Alonso kept rolling with another opposite-field homer, extending his absurd 17-game tear. Leody Taveras also launched a three-run shot, and Basallo kept the lineup moving with a pair of infield singles.
“It’s almost unreal to watch,” Encarnacion-Strand said of Alonso on MASN postgame, “and it’s been great to be his teammate.”
Then the game turned into a grind, and Bradish was left to absorb most of it. The right-hander, Baltimore’s highest-paid pitcher, worked 4 1/3 innings and gave up nine hits, seven earned runs and two walks. He struck out four of the 23 batters he faced, allowed one homer and threw 91 pitches.
The trouble peaked in the fifth. Bradish gave up a single, got a flyout, then issued back-to-back walks.
Alec Burleson, just back from the minors, followed with a first-pitch hit after Bryan Torres had opened the inning the same way. Jordan Walker then lined a ball to left that Dylan Beavers should have caught but didn’t, and suddenly the Cardinals had cut it to 7-4 with two runners aboard.
“The back-to-back walks hurt in the fifth,” Craig Albernaz said after the game.
Albernaz stayed with Bradish even after the inning kept slipping away. Nathan Church doubled to left-center before the starter was finally pulled. Alex Hoppe came on and allowed an inherited runner to score on a groundout after a steal of third base.
Bradish has now failed to finish five innings in three of his last six starts. Over that stretch, he has allowed 41 hits in 29 2/3 innings with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He has also been stretched through a season in which he has already shown signs of fatigue after throwing fewer than 40 innings in each of the previous two seasons because of the timing of his Tommy John surgery.
“If he catches that ball, who knows,” Albernaz said.
Baltimore’s bullpen had to finish off the rest. Andrew Kittredge put two on in the ninth, but Jackson Holliday helped rescue the inning with a sliding play, and Kittredge escaped to preserve the one-run lead.
The Orioles’ lineup, which has struggled for much of the season, did enough early to keep the game out of reach - even if only briefly. The club has already sold at the trade deadline, and the current stretch still isn’t changing that bigger picture. Gunnar Henderson stayed in the three hole and went 1-for-5, continuing a rough road season and another quiet night with runners in scoring position.
Right fielder Tyler O’Neill may have played his final game of the season. He was placed on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain suffered on a diving catch. Baltimore also added Luis Vazquez to the active roster as it dealt with a shortage of middle infielders.
In Other News...
Pete Alonso's Orioles Turnaround Followed A Huge Offseason Life Change
Pete Alonsos first months in Baltimore came with more than the usual challenge of changing teams. After spending his entire career with the Mets, he signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles and then had to adjust not just to a new clubhouse and routine, but to a major life change at home as well. The early stretch was an adjustment period, and it showed at times as he settled into both roles.
Since May, though, Alonso has looked far more like the middle-of-the-order force Baltimore expected. He has posted a .940 OPS and hit 27 home runs, a strong sign that the personal and professional transition is finally smoothing out. For the Orioles, the encouraging part is not just the production, but the way he has managed to find it after such a significant offseason shift. [Read more 🡒]
Tyler O'Neill Said Exactly What Orioles Fans Needed To Hear
Tyler O'Neill gave the Orioles one of their biggest defensive moments of late with a diving catch in the Aug. 22 win over Tampa Bay, the kind of play that can change the feel of a game and, in this case, helped set up a walk-off finish. Just a few days later, Baltimore had to move him to the 10-day injured list on Aug. 26 because of a strained rotator cuff, a reminder of how quickly a key contributor can go from difference-maker to sidelined.
Even with O'Neill out, the clubhouse tone has stayed upbeat as the Orioles keep chasing a Wild Card spot. Reliever Andrew Kittredge has pointed to the team's positive momentum, and for a club trying to bank wins in late August, that matters almost as much as the box score. Baltimore still has to navigate the stretch ahead without one of its more impactful defenders, but the confidence around the group has not gone anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Suddenly Have A Christian Encarnacion-Strand Decision To Make
Christian Encarnacion-Strand has quickly turned himself into a relevant Orioles conversation piece at the right time. Over the last 13 games, he has given Baltimore a real jolt at the plate, driving in 15 runs while batting .294/.302/.588, and his surge has come with the kind of timing that forces a front office to start thinking beyond the current stretch run.
Craig Albernaz has already acknowledged the impact Encarnacion-Strand has made, especially after Blaze Alexander went down with an injury, and now the bigger question is how that production fits into Baltimores long-term picture. With trades and positional shuffles potentially reshaping the roster, the Orioles suddenly have to decide whether his recent run is a short-term burst or something they need to build around going into next season. [Read more 🡒]