Coverage of today's Cards and Marlins game can be heard on The Big 870AM/96.3 FM Newstalk WTIM beginning at 5:35pm.
Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Kolten Wong went 4-for-5 with two runs
scored to help the St. Louis Cardinals avoid a three-game sweep against the
Baltimore Orioles with an 8-3 victory on Sunday.
Peter Bourjos hit a three-run homer to back a solid outing from Lance Lynn,
who allowed three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
More importantly, Lynn (12-8) held the powerful AL East leaders homerless for
the first time in the series. Baltimore launched nine homers in winning the
first two games by a combined score of 22-5.
"We like having Lance on the mound in these situations," said Cardinals
manager Mike Matheny, "and we felt good about what our offense could do."
Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman (6-4) was charged with three runs on eight
hits over five innings. Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz each knocked in a run
for the O's.
Matt Carpenter, Wong and Matt Holliday each singled to open up the game for
St. Louis in the first. Matt Adams grounded into a fielder's choice to score a
run before Jhonny Peralta laced a single to center that scored Wong. Jon Jay
walked to pack the bags again, but Oscar Taveras flied into a double play as
Adam Jones gunned Adams down at the plate attempting to tag from third.
"I did a good job bouncing back in the second inning, but that first inning
was a rough one," said Gausman. "It kind of seemed like wherever they hit the
ball, we didn't have a guy there."
Baltimore answered in the home half with and RBI double off the bat of Cruz
that cut the deficit to 2-1.
Jay got the run back in the third, however, ripping a single to right that
scored Wong.
The O's trimmed the deficit to one again in the fifth. After back-to-back
singles from Markakis and Manny Machado, Adam Jones flied out to center that
allowed Markakis to move over to third. Lynn then uncorked a wild pitch that
pushed Markakis across to make it a 3-2 game.
With one out and runners at the corners in the sixth, Daniel Descalso sent an
RBI single to right, restoring St. Louis' two-run cushion.
The pendulum continued to swing in the home sixth, with Markakis making it a
one-run game again courtesy of an RBI single to center.
Back-to-back doubles from Descalso and Carpenter made it 5-3 in the eighth,
then a pinch-hitting Bourjos left little doubt of the outcome with his homer
in the ninth.
Game Notes
Baltimore catcher Caleb Joseph had his five-game homer streak end ... The
Orioles had won three straight and 12-of-16 coming in ... St. Louis is 8-12
against the American League this season, while Baltimore is 9-5 against the
Senior Circuit.