Brendan Donovan’s two-run double propelled the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 comeback win against the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, completing a three-game sweep.
The Cardinals’ triumph snapped the Orioles’ impressive streak of 106 consecutive series of two-plus decisions without being swept, a run that began in May 2022 and stands as the third-longest in Major League Baseball history.
Masyn Winn delivered a standout performance for St. Louis, hitting a double and a home run while scoring two runs. His contributions helped the Cardinals erase an early 3-0 deficit and secure their eighth win in their last 10 games.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Cardinals defeated the Orioles 3-1 to conclude a game that had been suspended on Tuesday night due to rain.
In the regularly scheduled game, Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Gibson allowed three unearned runs on five hits over four innings, striking out three and walking none. John King (1-1) earned the win with two scoreless innings, while Ryan Fernandez secured his first save despite allowing a run in the ninth inning.
Orioles starter John Means pitched three scoreless innings, conceding just one hit and two walks. Cole Irvin (4-2) took the loss for Baltimore, which has now dropped four of its last five games.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was ejected by home plate umpire Charlie Ramos in the third inning after disputing called strikes.
The Orioles capitalized on a fielding error by Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado in the third inning. Gunnar Henderson’s RBI single, Ryan O’Hearn’s run-scoring groundout, and Anthony Santander’s RBI single gave Baltimore a 3-0 lead.
After rain interrupted the game in the fourth inning, the Cardinals cut their deficit to 3-1 in the fifth. Winn hit a double and scored on Lars Nootbaar’s single.
St. Louis took the lead in the sixth inning, aided by Baltimore miscues. Arenado hit a one-out single, and Dylan Carlson’s potential double-play grounder was mishandled by Henderson at shortstop. Donovan then delivered a two-run double, advanced to third on the throw home, and scored on catcher James McCann’s throwing error.
Winn’s solo homer leading off the seventh inning extended the Cardinals’ lead to 5-3.
The Orioles rallied in the ninth with singles by Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins, followed by a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Kyle Stowers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Cardinals’ lead.
