Tuesday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Orioles 4
By Rob Rains
Nolan Arenado knew exactly what would make his ailing back feel better.
After sitting out Monday’s game as he recovered from his fall into the seats on Sunday at Busch Stadium, Arenado found the cure in the eighth inning – hitting a home run that snapped a 4-4 tie and sent the Cardinals to the win over the Orioles on Tuesday night in Baltimore.
The homer ignited a three-run inning as Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker followed with consecutive triples before Masyn Winn’s two-out single drove in the final run.
The win once again moved the Cardinals seven games above .500, equaling their best record this season.
Here is how Tuesday night’s game broke down:
At the plate: The Cardinals tied the game at 4 in the seventh after Victor Scott II drew a leadoff walk, went to third on a single by Lars Nootbaar and scored on Winn’s single … Nootbaar had a three-hit night after he also singled and scored in the first on Ivan Herrera’s single, then hit a two-run homer in the second, his team-leading eighth home run this season. It was his first since May 14 … The Cardinals had a 14-hit game with Alec Burleson, Arenado and Walker also recording two-hit games.
On the mound: Andre Pallante was staked to a 3-0 lead after the second inning but gave up a run in the fourth and a three-run homer in the fifth that put the Orioles in front … Steven Matz stranded a runner on third base in the sixth before working a scoreless seventh … Phil Maton worked a 1-2-3 eighth and Ryan Helsley pitched around a two-out single in the ninth to earn his 11th save.
Key stat: Nootbaar came into the game with only one hit and one walk in his previous five games, spanning 21 plate appearances.
Worth noting: Brendan Donovan was in the original lineup but was a late scratch because of hip tightness … Tink Hence, one of the Cardinals top pitching prospects, made his second rehab start for Class A Palm Beach on Tuesday night and worked 2 ½ scoreless innings, although he did allow three hits and walked two, throwing 42 pitches … Outfielder Travis Honeyman, the third-round pick in the 2023 draft who missed almost all of the last two seasons because of injuries, was promoted from Palm Beach to Peoria after posting a .321 average in loss Class A.
Up next: Miles Mikolas is the scheduled starter for the final game of the series on Wednesday night.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
