The Orioles routed the Cardinals 13-1 on Tuesday at Busch Stadium, opening their three-game road series in St. Louis with their most lopsided win in weeks.
Pete Alonso carried Baltimore's offense, going 4-for-4 with a home run, a double, and four RBI. One frame alone accounted for eight of Baltimore's runs, the most the club has scored in a single inning all year. Christian Encarnación-Strand added a home run and three RBI on a 2-for-5 night, and Jackson Holliday went 3-for-6 with an RBI to keep the lineup rolling. Baltimore finished with 16 hits as a team.
On the mound, Chris Bassitt was outstanding, working 6.2 innings and allowing just one run in what stands as his strongest outing since joining the Orioles, before Anthony Nunez shut the door with two scoreless innings and five strikeouts of his own.
Alonso didn't finish the game, exiting after the fifth inning — a move manager Craig Albernaz described as simple maintenance rather than a new injury concern. "Precautionary," Albernaz said. "Game state, get him off his feet. Obviously, he was dealing with his calf, so there was no point to push him there, and we had the guys to mix and match with Sammy [Basallo] going to first and to get Narvy [Carlos Narváez] in behind the plate."
Bassitt didn't downplay how much the early offense meant for his own night. "It made it a lot easier, for sure. Good to see everyone get going pretty early," he said afterward. He also pointed to mechanical work that's started paying off, saying he liked the life on his stuff and how he was driving the ball, crediting some in-season adjustments made with the pitching staff between outings for helping things click.
The scoring pace even created an odd problem for him to manage — staying ready through long stretches between innings while his own offense kept batting. Bassitt said he leaned on work in the weight room and bullpen area to stay loose rather than let his legs cool down. "It gets to a point where you're kind of hoping for an out or two," he said, "but it's always a good problem to have."
The win keeps Baltimore's wild-card hopes alive without closing the gap. The Orioles sit 2.5 games behind Cleveland for the final American League spot, with the Guardians (67-66) riding a six-game winning streak of their own.
Help could be arriving soon on that front. Utility player Blaze Alexander, out since mid-July with a fractured left hand, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday and wasted no time reminding everyone what he brings defensively — he turned heads with a behind-the-back tag during the game that quickly made the rounds online. Alexander posted his own message afterward, teasing a return to the majors.
See you soon #birdland https://t.co/iv6sReeW7u
— Blaze Alexander (@BAlexander52) August 26, 2026
Alexander was hitting .312 with an .807 OPS before the injury, arguably Baltimore's most productive bat at the time he went down, and gives the Orioles a genuine boost if he's ready to rejoin the roster on this road trip.
Baltimore is managing another situation in the outfield. Tyler O'Neill, who has turned in a string of highlight-reel defensive plays this month, sat out Tuesday's game against a left-handed starter because of right shoulder soreness, which Albernaz traced back to a diving catch O'Neill made over the weekend. O'Neill underwent an MRI Tuesday afternoon, with results still pending, but he was in uniform on the bench for the game rather than fully sidelined. Albernaz said infielder Luis Vázquez, currently on the taxi squad, would be available to step in if the Orioles need additional roster help while O'Neill is evaluated.
The Orioles and Cardinals continue the series Wednesday, with Kyle Bradish set to start for Baltimore against St. Louis right-hander Michael McGreevy.