Wednesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 1, Orioles 0
By Rob Rains
The theme for the Cardinals for the last two months of this season has been opportunity. Two players who seem to be taking advantage of it did so again on Wednesday night.
Drew Rom, one of three players acquired from Baltimore in the Aug. 1 deal that sent Jack Flaherty to the Orioles, won the first game of his career by shutting down his former team on just two hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Richie Palacios, acquired in a minor-league deal with Cleveland earlier in the season, provided the only run of the game with a fourth-inning home run – one night after he hit two homers to help Adam Wainwright win his 199th career game.
The home run was the 200th of the season for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals won two out of three games against the best team in the American League and finished their nine-game trip to Atlanta, Cincinnati and Baltimore with a 6-3 record, winning two out of three games in each city.
Here is how Wednesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The home run by Palacios with two outs in the fourth was one of only four hits for the Cardinals. They also drew four walks, but were hitless in four at-bats with a runner in scoring position … Their other hits were a single by Jose Fermin in the third, a double by Andrew Knizner in the seventh and a single by Alec Burleson in the eighth.
On the mound: Rom held the Orioles without a hit until an infield single with two outs in the fifth. He came out of the game after allowing a one-out double in the sixth. He struck out seven and walked three in getting the win in his fifth career start … The bullpen preserved the one-run lead for the final 3 2/3 innings. The Orioles only hit was a two-out triple off Ryan Helsley in the ninth, but he got the next hitter to pop to short to end the game.
Key stat: This was the second time this season the Cardinals won a game 1-0 on the road with their only run coming on a home run. Burleson’s homer gave them a 1-0 win at Texas on June 7. Since 2014, the Cardinals have won only three 1-0 games on the road with the run coming on a home run.
Worth noting: With Tommy Edman and Nolan Arenado getting the day off and Paul Goldschmidt serving as the DH, the Cardinals started an infield of Burleson at first, Palacios at second, Masyn Winn at shortstop and Fermin at third … Before the game the Cardinals announced that Dylan Carlson will undergo season-ending ankle surgery, likely next week. He has been bothered by the ankle injury since May and received an injection last month that the team hoped would allow him to avoid the surgery … Nolan Gorman was placed on the injured list before the game with a hamstring strain he suffered on Tuesday night beating out a ground ball. It is hoped he will be able to return for the final few games of the season. Juniel Querecuto was selected from Memphis. His last game in the majors was with Tampa Bay on Sept. 30, 2016.
Looking ahead: After a day off on Thursday, Zack Thompson will get the start on Friday night as the Cardinals open a three-game series against the Phillies at Busch Stadium.
Follow Rob Rains on Twitter @RobRains
