O's game blog: Looking for a bounceback in Game 2 in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS – By Orioles standards and based on their play so far this year, last night’s road trip opening game was just not good enough. And the Birds will look to get back in the win column tonight with improved play in the second of a three-game series at St. Louis. 

Being held to three hits was a season low for the Orioles, the sixth time that has happened. They lost at St. Louis 6-3. 

Gunnar Henderson’s three-run homer in the sixth inning got them back into the game, but they never could get even or move ahead after the Cardinals opened a 5-0 lead in the last of the fourth.

But Henderson gained the major league lead with his 16^th homer. He is the first Oriole since DJ Stewart in September 2020 to homer in four consecutive games. He has six in his past 10 games and 13 in the last 30. That is also the most in the majors in that span of games during which his OPS is 1.062.

But Monday night, the Cardinals' No. 8 and No. 9 hitters, Masyn Winn and Michael Siani, combined for four hits, two runs and all six RBIs as the home team won for the sixth time in the past eight games.

The Cardinals won their third straight series opener and are 11-5 in such games. St. Louis matched a season high with four stolen bases. And they tied a season-low game with just three hits allowed to the Orioles.

The Baltimore offense has scored three runs or less in 10 of the past 18 games, batting .223 in that span and scoring 4.1 runs per game.

The Orioles (29-16), who are 3-4 the last seven games and 12-6 on the road, remain two games back of the Yankees. New York allowed four runs in the ninth in a loss to Seattle.

The O’s have lost just one road series all year – at Pittsburgh – and are 4-1-1 in road series. To take this one, they need two wins in two days.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish (0-0, 2.63 ERA) gets tonight’s start for the Orioles, making his fourth of the season. He gave up one run over 4 2/3 on May 2 against the Yankees, then allowed one run over five innings against the Nationals and two in four frames to the Blue Jays.

Over 13 2/3 innings, he has allowed 12 hits with six walks, 17 strikeouts, a 1.317 WHIP, a 4.0 walk rate and 11.2 strikeout rate.

Bradish, since the start of last year, is 12-7 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.064 WHIP in 33 starts. His ERA+ is 144 in that time and the Orioles are 22-11 in those 33 outings.

Righty Lance Lynn (1-2, 4.17 ERA) makes his 10^th start for the home team. The Cardinals are 4-5 in his games and he has allowed 47 hits and six home runs over 45 1/3 innings. He has a 1.478 WHIP.

Lynn got off to a great start and had an ERA of 2.64 in six April starts. But in three this month, he is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA. He has given up 14 runs (12 earned) in 14 2/3 innings in the month with an average against of .298 and .835 OPS.

In nine career games (seven starts) versus the Orioles, Lynn is 3-2 with a 3.57 ERA and 1.279 WHIP. Over 45 1/3 innings, he has walked nine and fanned 51 allowing a .746 OPS in his career against Baltimore batters.

The score after the first inning last night was 0-0 and the Orioles have now gone 20 straight games without trailing after the first inning, the longest current streak in the majors.

Even with the inconsistent offense the past few weeks, as play begins today in the majors, the Birds have four among the OPS leaders in the American League: Henderson is fifth at .962, Colton Cowser is 10th at .879, Jordan Westburg is 12th at .864 and Adley Rutschman 15th at .834.