BALTIMORE (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, and the St. Louis Cardinals topped the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 on Tuesday night.
The Orioles were on a season-high three-game winning streak, but they reverted to old habits, going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position. The lone hit was a three-run homer by Ryan O’Hearn that gave Baltimore a 4-3 lead in the fifth, but the Cardinals responded with a run in the seventh and three in the eighth off the Orioles’ bullpen.
Bryan Baker (3-1) gave up Arenado’s solo shot with one out in the eighth, and then Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker followed with consecutive triples that eluded Baltimore outfielders. Masyn Winn’s RBI single made it 7-4.
St. Louis took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on Lars Nootbaar’s two-run homer off Tomoyuki Sugano. The Orioles finally scored on Cardinals starter Andre Pallante in the fourth.
Defensive sloppiness in that inning allowed Baltimore to load the bases with nobody out. The Orioles nearly came away with nothing when Jorge Mateo struck out and Heston Kjerstad hit a potential double play ball to second, but first baseman Alec Burleson couldn’t handle Winn’s bouncing throw and Kjerstad was safe with an RBI fielder’s choice.
O’Hearn put Baltimore ahead in the fifth, but the Orioles failed to score in the sixth after Mateo singled and stole second and third. Chadwick Tromp struck out for the second out, and Steven Matz (3-1) came on and retired Jackson Holliday on a grounder to end the inning.
Ryan Helsley pitched the ninth for his 11th save in 13 chances.
Key moments
The Orioles squandered man-on-second, nobody-out situations in the second and sixth.
Key stats
St. Louis has won 11 of its last 17 road games after losing 10 of its first 11.
Up next
Miles Mikolas (4-2) starts for St. Louis against Cade Povich (1-3) in Wednesday night’s series finale, weather permitting.
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