ORIOLES POSTCAST: Baltimore Orioles Dig Early Hole, Fall Short to St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 in Finale

The Orioles won the series in St. Louis, but Thursday’s finale leaves a frustrating feeling behind. Baltimore dug itself another early hole against the Cardinals, rallied late, and still came up two runs short in a 7-5 loss. The O’s had no answer early for the Cardinals’ bullpen-day plan. Right-hander Gordon Graceffo opened the game with three perfect innings, piling up seven swings and misses and keeping Baltimore’s lineup off balance from the first pitch. Trevor Rogers struggled to find consistent command and paid dearly for a few near-misses. Rookie Blaze Jordan launched a three-run homer in the second inning, then former Oriole Ramón Urías delivered a two-run shot in the fourth as St. Louis built the early lead Baltimore spent the rest of the afternoon chasing. The Orioles finally broke through in the seventh when Coby Mayo crushed a three-run homer off left-hander Caleb Ferguson. Gunnar Henderson kept the push alive in the eighth with an opposite-field RBI double off George Soriano’s changeup, but Baltimore could not find the final hit it needed. The Orioles finished just 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position. The late fight was there, but the early hole, missed chances, and Cardinals’ strong bullpen-day execution were too much to overcome. Luke Slabaugh breaks down the Orioles’ 7-5 loss to the Cardinals, the late comeback attempt, Mayo’s power, Gunnar’s key eighth-inning hit, Trevor Rogers’ command issues, and why winning the series does not completely take the sting out of this one. Subscribe to the Orioles Postcast for daily Baltimore Orioles postgame reaction, analysis, news, and Birdland conversation.