Orioles Fall 7-5 to Cardinals, Look to Rebound Against Athletics in Sacramento

The Baltimore Orioles closed out their series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a frustrating 7-5 loss on Thursday night, dropping Baltimore to 65-69 on the season and 31-35 on the road. The Orioles had already secured two victories in St. Louis, including a 13-1 offensive explosion on Tuesday and an 8-7 win on Wednesday, but they could not complete the sweep.

Baltimore's offense produced seven hits and five runs, but the Cardinals made their opportunities count. St. Louis scored three runs in the second inning, added two more in the fourth, and ultimately held off a late Orioles push. Baltimore did make things interesting, scoring four runs across the seventh and eighth innings, but the Cardinals answered with an insurance run in the eighth.

Now the Orioles head to Sacramento for a series against the Athletics, beginning Friday night at Sutter Health Park. Baltimore will send one of its most dependable starters, Brandon Young, to the mound against Oakland/Sacramento left-hander Jacob Lopez.

Cardinals Jump Out Early

The biggest problem for Baltimore was the early deficit.

Trevor Rogers received the start for the Orioles and worked five innings, allowing seven hits, six earned runs and one walk while striking out seven. His final line does not tell the entire story of the outing, but the Cardinals consistently found ways to put pressure on him.

St. Louis broke through in the second inning when Brendan Jordan launched a three-run homer to center field. The blast traveled an estimated 416 feet and immediately put Baltimore behind 3-0.

Rogers was able to settle down somewhat after the second, but the Cardinals struck again in the fourth. Ramón Urías hit a two-run homer to center, scoring Alec Burleson and extending St. Louis' advantage to 5-0.

That put Baltimore in a difficult position against a Cardinals pitching staff that had already demonstrated an ability to limit the Orioles' offense early in the game.

Rogers finished with 86 pitches, throwing 60 for strikes. He generated seven strikeouts, but the seven hits and six runs allowed resulted in a game score of only 35.

For a team trying to stay alive in the postseason race, Baltimore needs more length and consistency from its rotation. Rogers has been one of the more important pieces of the staff this season, and his 9-9 record reflects the responsibility he has carried. However, allowing six runs in five innings made the margin for error extremely small.

Orioles Finally Get on the Board

Baltimore finally answered in the fifth inning.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand reached base and eventually came around to score when Colton Cowser delivered a sacrifice fly. That cut the deficit to 5-1, but the Cardinals immediately responded.

St. Louis scored another run in the bottom of the fifth when Burleson grounded out, allowing José Fermín to score. That restored the Cardinals' five-run advantage at 6-1.

At that point, Baltimore needed something big from its offense.

It got exactly that from Coby Mayo.

Mayo Gives Baltimore Life

Mayo provided one of the biggest highlights of the night in the seventh inning.

With Encarnacion-Strand and Dylan Beavers aboard, Mayo crushed a three-run home run to center field. The ball traveled an estimated 446 feet, giving Baltimore its second homer of the night and cutting the Cardinals' lead to 6-4.

It was an important moment for Mayo, who continues to show why Baltimore views him as an important part of its young core.

Mayo finished 1-for-4 with a three-run homer and three RBIs. His 18th home run of the season brought his RBI total to 51.

The Orioles suddenly had momentum.

After being held in check for much of the first six innings, Baltimore was within two runs with plenty of baseball remaining.

Henderson Keeps the Comeback Going

Baltimore continued its comeback attempt in the eighth.

Jackson Holliday reached base and eventually scored when Gunnar Henderson doubled to left field. Henderson's double brought Baltimore within one run at 6-5.

Henderson finished 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI, giving him 52 RBIs on the season.

The Orioles had gone from being down 5-0 to being one swing away from tying the game.

But the comeback stopped there.

St. Louis answered in the bottom of the eighth when Nolan Church singled to left field, bringing Urías home. That run gave the Cardinals a 7-5 lead and proved to be the difference.

Baltimore could not generate another rally in the ninth.

Offense Shows Some Fight

Despite the loss, there were some positive signs from the Orioles' lineup.

Encarnacion-Strand had one of Baltimore's better offensive games, going 2-for-4 and collecting two hits. He also scored a run.

Henderson went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Mayo's three-run homer was the biggest offensive blow of the game.

Holliday went 1-for-4 and stole a base, his eighth of the season.

Cowser went 0-for-3 but drove in a run with his sacrifice fly.

Dylan Beavers reached base twice, going 1-for-2 with two walks.

Baltimore's biggest issue was its inability to convert opportunities with runners in scoring position. The Orioles went just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

That number is particularly important because Baltimore had chances to make the game even more competitive.

Pete Alonso, who has been one of the hottest Orioles hitters recently, went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. Alonso remains one of the most important bats in the lineup, but Thursday was a difficult night at the plate.

The Orioles cannot expect to win consistently if their middle-of-the-order hitters are unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities. At the same time, one bad night should not overshadow the offensive surge Baltimore has shown during this road trip.

Bullpen Does Its Part

After Rogers exited, the Orioles' bullpen provided Baltimore with a chance to mount the comeback.

Cade Sanders pitched two innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out four. That was a strong performance in a game where Baltimore needed its relievers to keep the deficit manageable.

Anthony Nunez worked the eighth inning and allowed one run on one hit, with a walk and two strikeouts.

The bullpen's overall performance was not perfect, but Sanders in particular gave Baltimore valuable innings.

The bigger issue was that the game was already tilted toward St. Louis after Rogers' five innings.

What the Cardinals Series Means

Baltimore leaves St. Louis with a 2-1 series record, which is still a positive result.

The Orioles won the first two games and scored 21 runs over those victories. The offense struggled more Thursday, but the team still managed to score five runs after falling behind 5-0.

That ability to fight back matters.

Baltimore is now 65-69, meaning the Orioles remain below .500 with 28 games remaining on the regular-season schedule. Every series becomes increasingly important.

The road record is now 31-35, and Baltimore will remain on the road as it travels to Sacramento.

That brings a completely different challenge.

Orioles Preview: Series Against the Athletics

The Orioles' next opponent is the Athletics, who enter the series at 53-81 overall and 25-41 at home.

The first game is scheduled for Friday night at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, with first pitch set for 9:40 p.m. Eastern.

Baltimore enters the series having won three of its last five games, while the Athletics have also been playing better baseball recently.

Sacramento has won four of its last five games, including consecutive victories over the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics defeated Minnesota 4-2 on Tuesday and 7-4 on Wednesday after previously beating Houston 7-6 and 4-3.

So although the Athletics have a poor overall record, they are not entering this series playing poorly.

Brandon Young Gets the Ball

Baltimore's biggest advantage entering Friday is Brandon Young.

Young is scheduled to start the series opener and enters with a 9-3 record, 3.50 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 123.1 innings.

He has allowed 123 hits, struck out 99 and walked 45.

Young has been one of the Orioles' most reliable starters this season, and Baltimore needs him to set the tone after Rogers struggled in the series finale.

The Athletics will counter with left-hander Jacob Lopez.

Lopez enters at 5-4 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over 94 innings. He has allowed 92 hits, struck out 90 and walked 47.

On paper, Young has the statistical advantage.

But Baltimore cannot afford to overlook the Athletics.

Alonso vs. Sacramento

Pete Alonso will be one of the biggest storylines entering the series.

Alonso currently leads the Orioles with 32 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .274 batting average. His .362 on-base percentage and .512 slugging percentage demonstrate how important he has been to Baltimore's lineup.

After going hitless Thursday, Alonso will be looking to get right against the Athletics.

Baltimore needs him to continue being the middle-of-the-order force he has been for much of the season.

The Athletics' pitching staff has a 5.46 team ERA, compared with Baltimore's 4.21 mark. That creates an opportunity for the Orioles' offense.

The key will be avoiding the type of missed opportunities that hurt them against St. Louis.

Mayo's Momentum

Coby Mayo is another player to watch.

His three-run homer Thursday was exactly the type of swing Baltimore wants to see from him. The 446-foot blast demonstrated his raw power and gave the Orioles a chance to erase a large deficit.

Mayo now has 18 home runs and 51 RBIs.

If he can provide consistent production from the lower portion of the lineup, Baltimore becomes much more dangerous.

The Orioles have several young hitters capable of changing a game with one swing. Mayo's development is particularly important because the organization needs more production from its younger players as it looks toward the final month of the season and beyond.

Injury Situation

Baltimore continues to deal with several significant injuries.

Blaze Alexander is listed on the 10-day injured list, while Tyler O'Neill, Félix Bautista, Ryan Helsley and Ryan Mountcastle remain unavailable.

The absence of Bautista and Helsley is especially important for a team trying to protect leads late in games. Baltimore has to find ways to shorten games without two of its major bullpen weapons who could back soon.

That makes the emergence of players such as Mayo and Beavers even more important.

What Baltimore Needs in Sacramento

The Orioles should enter the Athletics series with one simple objective: win the series.

Baltimore does not need to sweep every opponent, but with a 65-69 record and 28 games left, the margin for error is shrinking.

The first step is getting a strong start from Young.

If Young can give Baltimore six or seven quality innings, the Orioles should have a good opportunity to win.

The second priority is offensive consistency.

Baltimore has demonstrated that it can score runs in bunches. The 13-1 victory over St. Louis was a reminder of the lineup's potential. But the Orioles also need to avoid long stretches without production.

Getting Alonso, Henderson, Basallo and Mayo into a rhythm would give the lineup considerably more depth.

Finally, Baltimore needs to play clean baseball.

The Orioles cannot afford to give away outs or scoring opportunities as they attempt to climb back toward contention.

Final Take

The 7-5 loss to St. Louis was disappointing because Baltimore had a chance to complete the sweep, but the Orioles should not lose sight of the bigger picture.

They won two of three games against the Cardinals and scored 26 runs in the series. Mayo provided a huge three-run homer Thursday, Henderson continued to produce, Encarnacion-Strand collected two hits, and the bullpen kept Baltimore within striking distance.

Now the challenge moves to Sacramento.

The Athletics enter the series at 53-81, but their recent four-game winning streak shows that Baltimore cannot simply rely on the standings.

The Orioles have the better starting pitcher in Friday's matchup, with Brandon Young carrying a 3.50 ERA into the opener. The Athletics counter with Jacob Lopez, who has a 4.98 ERA.

For Baltimore, this is a series the team needs to attack.

At 65-69, the Orioles have little room for another extended losing stretch. The offense has shown enough firepower to win games, and the rotation has enough talent to give the team opportunities.

Now they have to put everything together.

The Cardinals series was a missed opportunity to sweep, but taking two of three was still valuable. The Sacramento series is about building on that momentum. If Brandon Young delivers and the Orioles' offense continues to get production from Alonso, Henderson, Mayo, Basallo and Encarnacion-Strand, Baltimore has a real opportunity to leave Sacramento with another series victory.

For a team still fighting through the final weeks of the season, that is exactly what the Orioles need.