The Baltimore Orioles fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 on Thursday, August 27, in St. Louis. Trevor Rogers took the loss after giving up six earned runs on seven hits across five innings, and a Blaze Jordan home run proved to be the decisive blow in a game the Orioles couldn't recover from despite a three-RBI effort from Coby Mayo off the bench.

Trevor Rogers Falters Early, Cardinals Take Control

Rogers had the raw stuff — seven strikeouts in five innings — but the Cardinals got to him for six earned runs, and that damage was simply too deep a hole to climb out of. Gordon Graceffo made Rogers pay for it early on the St. Louis side, tossing three perfect innings with four strikeouts before handing the ball to a bullpen that kept the Orioles at bay long enough to matter.

The Cardinals' big blow came from Blaze Jordan, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Ramón Urías added a solo shot of his own with two RBI, and Alec Burleson chipped in two hits and an RBI to keep pressure on Baltimore's pitching staff throughout the night.

Coby Mayo Gives Orioles a Jolt, But It Wasn't Enough

Mayo was the offensive bright spot for Baltimore, going 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Jackson Holliday and Christian Encarnacion-Strand each went 2-for-4, giving the Orioles three contributors who put together quality at-bats. The problem was that the offense arrived too late and too scattered to overcome the early deficit Rogers left behind.

Cam Sanders was sharp in relief — two innings, four strikeouts, one earned run allowed — but the Orioles needed that kind of performance from their starter, not their bullpen. Anthony Nunez worked the ninth and allowed one earned run as the Cardinals closed it out with Riley O'Brien earning the save.

Cardinals Bullpen Locks It Down After Shaky Start

St. Louis got three innings of no-hit ball from Graceffo, then navigated some turbulence through the middle frames. Caleb Ferguson allowed three earned runs in one inning during the Cardinals' bullpen stretch, which let the Orioles creep back into it, but George Soriano and O'Brien steadied the ship. Luis Gastelum earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings and two strikeouts at a critical juncture.

The final margin was two runs, and the Orioles had their chances — but leaving runners on base and getting outpitched in the early innings was a combination they couldn't overcome in St. Louis on Thursday night.

What's Next for Baltimore

The Orioles will look to regroup and get a better outing from the rotation. Thursday's loss underscores the importance of starting pitching: when Rogers is on, he's a weapon with legitimate swing-and-miss stuff. When he gives up six runs before turning it over to the bullpen, there's very little margin for error. Baltimore needs answers at the top of the rotation if they're going to string wins together on the road.

  • Trevor Rogers (L): 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
  • Coby Mayo: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
  • Jackson Holliday: 2-for-4
  • Christian Encarnacion-Strand: 2-for-4
  • Blaze Jordan (Cardinals): 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI
  • Gordon Graceffo (Cardinals): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 4 K