Cardinals erase three-run deficit, win series finale over Orioles
BALTIMORE, Md. (KMIZ)
The Cardinals have lost only one series in the entire month of May.
St. Louis (32-24) clinched its seventh series win against its last eight opponents, defeating Baltimore (19-36) in Wednesday's rubber match 6-4 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Redbirds are just three games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the division race, representing one of just seven teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) who have reached the 32-win threshold.
Despite allowing just two combined earned runs in his last three starts, Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas endured a shaky outing on Wednesday. The veteran right-hander only lasted four innings on the mound, giving up four earned runs on nine hits. Mikolas surrendered three of those four runs in the second inning alone, courtesy of an RBI bunt single from Cedric Mullins, a fielder's choice and an RBI double from Jackson Holliday.
However, St. Louis sparked its comeback in the fourth frame. Jordan Walker supplied a two-RBI single to left field to cut the team's deficit down to just one run.
Former Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson extended Baltimore's lead back to two runs in the bottom half of the fourth inning, but the Redbirds responded with four unanswered runs in the next three frames. Masyn Winn ignited a three-run rally in the fifth frame with an RBI double, highlighting a game-high four-hit effort for the Cardinals shortstop. Then, Brendan Donovan, who leads all MLB second basemen in batting average (.335), ended the inning with a go-ahead two-run home run to put St. Louis ahead for the remainder of the game. Donovan's home run was his fourth of the season and was part of his three-hit performance at the plate.
The Cardinals and Orioles both posted 12 hits in this contest with Winn, Donovan and Lars Nootbaar each delivering a multi-hit effort. Ivan Herrera was also one of four different players to record at least one RBI for St. Louis, hitting a run-scoring double in the seventh frame.
After Mikolas allowed four runs in his four-inning start, the bullpen combined to throw five scoreless innings. Ryan Helsley ended that excellent effort by tallying his 12th save of the season in the final frame.
Up next - The Cardinals will aim to maintain the MLB's second-best record in the month of May with a three-game road trip to face the Rangers (27-30). First pitch is scheduled for Friday, May 30 at 7:05 p.m.
