Cardinals storm back (again), douse Orioles and take series

BALTIMORE — It took longer for the mist and drizzle to clear than it did for the Cardinals to solve the Baltimore Orioles’ left-handed starter, but by the time it did this much remained clear.

That offense that Nolan Arenado described as “never out of it” and a lineup capable of mulching opponents with long, grinding at-bats – “What we’re known for,” manager Oliver Marmol said – can stir at any time to flip a game. Though it prefers the middle innings.

The Cardinals’ relentless lineup rallied for the second consecutive night in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, scoring five runs in the fourth and fifth innings against lefty Cade Povich and then launching a flurry of relievers to hold a 6-4 victory late Wednesday night. On his way to a second four-hit game of the month, Masyn Winn had a single to start the Cardinals’ first rally and a double to continue their second one.

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Winn scored on Brendan Donovan’s two-run homer in the fifth inning that seized the lead for good.

In innings 3 through 6 this season, the Cardinals are outscoring opponents by 43.

Rain loitered over the Baltimore area all day and threatened to bump the game back to a mutual off day Thursday. Neither team was thrilled about that possibility. The Cardinals moved out of their hotel Wednesday afternoon in hopes of not returning and heading instead toward their break in Texas.

“I’d rather play this one today, even if we have to wear goggles,” manager Oliver Marmol said.

The game started after a 31-minute delay and the teams played through light rain and mist until conditions evaporated in the later innings, slower than the Orioles’ lead did. Baltimore took a 3-0 lead but offered no cover for Povich in the middle innings as the Cardinals thundered away. Before Winn led off the fourth with a single, the Cardinals had been limited to one hit and Povich had six strikeouts.

Eleven batters later, the Cardinals had six hits, three extra-base hits, eight baserunners, and a 5-4 lead.

Their 24th game with at least 10 hits leads the National League.

Ryan Helsley pitched around two hits in the ninth and faced the potential winning run at the plate. He got a groundout to claim his 12th save and second in as many nights against the Orioles. In the past six games, Helsley has three saves and a win.

Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan returns to the dugout after scoring on a two-run single hit in by Jordan Walker during the fourth inning of a game against the Orioles on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

Stephanie Scarbrough, Associated Press

Third time’s the crush

What technically started with a barrage in the fourth inning only accelerated for the Cardinals in the fifth against Orioles second-year starter Povich.

In the span of three batters – not one of which made the Baltimore dugout flinch, let alone rise to action – the Cardinals drilled Povich with two doubles and a home run to vaporize the lead the Orioles created early. Lars Nootbaar opened the fifth with a double that left his bat at 105 mph. Winn followed with a double that rang off the left-field wall at 103.3 mph. Then Donovan crushed a pitch into the landing above the right-field scoreboard, and that pitch left his bat at 103.2 mph. Everything was speeding up on Povich.

Not once during that exchange did the catcher visit Povich.

An infielder didn’t walk over to scrape mud.

A coach or manager never appeared from the dugout.

The lefty was just out there dodging lasers.

And it didn’t happen as suddenly as the Cardinals took the lead. Starting with Winn’s at-bat in the fourth inning and his second look at Povich, the exit-velocity jubilee was on. Winn hit a ball at 107.4 mph, and Donovan followed with a single at 104.6 mph. Both of them scored on Jordan Walker’s two-run RBI to carve into the Orioles’ lead.

Povich had vexed the Cardinals through three innings. Six of his nine strikeouts came from the first 10 batters he faced.

But the Cardinals started solving him with a second look.

A third look and they socked him.

It wasn’t until Donovan circled the bases to take a 5-4 lead that the Orioles got former Cardinals reliever Matt Bowman revving on the bullpen mound. Povich would face and retire three more batters – and allow a 106-mph flyout and another single before being rescued.

Multi-tasking Mikolas

As if preparing for his start and trying to hurl the Cardinals toward a series win Wednesday wasn’t enough on his schedule, Mikolas also had to man the phones and juggle weather reports as the Cardinals’ union representative.

He was the player who got alerts from officials about the forecast and about the plans for playing or delaying or postponing that evening’s game.

Teammates turned to him for info as they got ready.

At the same time he had to get ready for his 11th start of the season.

Jackson Holliday, Cardinals Hall of Famer Matt’s eldest son, led off the game for the Orioles and did what Mikolas has spent most of this season of reinvention trying to avoid. The veteran right-hander got ahead 0-2 on the young infielder, and then he let an off-speed pitch catch too much of the zone. Holliday tagged it to the left-field corner for a leadoff double. Mikolas then stranded him there by elevating a fastball to Adley Rutschman and getting two fly outs.

By the time Holliday came around again to double again off Mikolas, the Orioles already had a 2-0 lead and he was about to add to it.

Some slippery fielding cost the Cardinals.

Although one of the top defensive teams in the majors, the series in Baltimore has been uncharacteristically frayed in the field. A pair of errors on Monday night contributed to the loss. The rally to win Tuesday night had to overcome two misplays at first base. On Wednesday, the soggy conditions didn’t help. When Mikolas rushed a throw after fielding a bunt, the resulting error allowed the first run of the game to score.

The bunter, Cedric Mullins, stole second to get into scoring position.

He scored on Holliday’s second double in as many at-bats.

Baltimore opened up that 3-0 lead in the second inning against Mikolas. The Orioles added a run in the fourth when Mullins singled and scored on Dylan Carlson’s RBI hit to right field. Another error put runners at the corners with no outs before Mikolas retired Holliday for the first time and kept the top of the O’s lineup from adding on.

Mikolas allowed four runs on nine hits through his four innings.

Cue the bullpen blitz

With an off day in Texas secured by the rain and mist clearing and a lead after the fifth inning, Marmol unloaded the bullpen to hold it.

Into the game for the bottom of the fifth inning was usual setup man Kyle Leahy. The Orioles had the middle of their order up, and Leahy had to sidestep a couple of walks to keep Baltimore quiet in fifth. When leadoff hitter and left-handed batter Holliday came up in the sixth, the Cardinals turned to lefty John King (2-0) for three outs in that inning.

And the relay race to Helsley was on.

Five Cardinals relievers had assignments in the final five innings of the game. King and Phil Maton finished their innings without allowing a hit. They combined to strikeout four. Maton pitched a perfect seventh as prelude to lefty JoJo Romero getting the eighth.

Before Helsley, the bullpen allowed one hit in four innings.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Maverick Handley (98) advances to third base in front of St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, left, on a throwing error by Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages during a pickoff attempt in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan is unable to field a ball hit in by Baltimore Orioles’ Cedric Mullins for a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Cedric Mullins (31) celebrates with Adley Rutschman (35) after scoring on an RBI single hit in by Dylan Carlson during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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St. Louis Cardinals’ Ivan Herrera holds his broken bat during an at-bat in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Ramon Urias (29) reacts to a strike during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Jackson Holliday (7) celebrates in front of St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0) after hitting an RBI double to score Cedric Mullins during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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St. Louis Cardinals’ Ivan Herrera looks at his broken bat during an at-bat in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich (37) delivers during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Ryan O’Hearn (32) scores past St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages, left, on a throwing error by Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Cedric Mullins, below, steals second base in front of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles’ Maverick Handley (98) hits in an RBI groundout to score Ramon Urias during the second inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) fields a ground ball hit in by St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado to make the throw to second baseman Jackson Holliday for a double play during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas delivers during the second inning of a baseball game Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Fans use umbrellas to cover their seats after a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals was delayed, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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A fans stands behind netting as the groundskeeping crew work on the field after a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals was delayed, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.

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Fans sit in the stands as the groundskeeping crew work on the field after a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals was delayed, Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Baltimore.