Orioles Rally Past Cardinals to Stay in Wild-Card Race

The Baltimore Orioles outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 after Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth, with Pete Alonso homering and a three-run first inning helping Baltimore build an early lead. Alonso’s 32nd homer and a six-run fifth by St. Louis highlighted a seesaw game before the Orioles held on. Kyle Bradish struggled over 4 1/3 innings, but five Orioles relievers worked 4 2/3 scoreless, and Andrew Kittredge earned the save. Encarnacion-Strand’s ninth-inning double scored Luis Vázquez to keep Baltimore within 2 1/2 games of the AL wild-card race as the series heads to a finale yet to be determined. In a related note, Basallo provided a clutch pinch-hit two-run homer for Baltimore in a separate win over Tampa Bay, underscoring the club’s depth down the stretch.