Thursday’s Game Report: Cardinals 7, Orioles 5
By Rob Rains
With the Cardinals desperately trying to snap their season-high five-game losing streak, it seemed like the three-run homer from Blaze Jordan in the second inning would be his most important contribution to Thursday’s game.
It was – until the eighth inning.
By that time, the Orioles had rallied from a 5-0 deficit and trailed 6-5 with the tying run on second when Jordan made a diving catch of a throw by George Soriano to third and tagged out the runner for the key second out of the inning.
It was a costly play, however, as Jordan appeared to injure his left ankle in the collision with the runner and the base. He had to be helped off the field, not putting weight on his leg.
The Cardinals were attempting to determine the severity of the injury after the game at Busch Stadium but an initial expectation is that he will miss some time.
Here is how Thursday’s game broke down:
At the plate: Jordan’s homer followed a single by Alec Burleson and a double by Joshua Baez. It was his third of the year, the first at home … Ramon Urias increased the lead to 5-0 with a two-run homer in the fourth … After scoring on both of the home runs following singles, Alec Burleson picked up his 99th RBI of the season with a groundout in the fifth … An important insurance run scored in the eighth on an RBI single by Nathan Church.
On the mound: Reliever Gordon Graceffo started the bullpen game and worked three perfect innings, striking out four … The Orioles cut the lead to 6-4 on a three-run homer by Coby Mayo off Caleb Ferguson in the seventh then pulled within 6-5 off Soriano in the eighth before he got out of the inning … Riley O’Brien pitched around a two-out single in the ninth to close out the win and earn his 34th save.
Key stat: The Cardinals have allowed at least five runs in each of their last eight games, their longest streak since allowing five or more runs in 12 consecutive games in 2017.
Worth noting: The Cardinals have hit at least one homer in their last 10 games, their longest streak in the last two years … Burleson’s two singles extended his hitting streak to 13 games … He has now driven in 28 runs in August, the most in any month in his career, and the most this month in the majors … Before the game the Cardinals placed reliever Peter Strzelecki on the injured list because of inflammation in his right arm and recalled Cade Winquest from Memphis. Winquest was claimed by the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft last December and made their opening day roster but never pitched before he was designated for assignment and returned to the Cardinals.
Up next: Quinn Mathews will make his fourth start for the Cardinals and his first at Busch Stadium on Friday night in the opener of a weekend series against the Pirates.
Follow Rob Rains on X @RobRains
