Pete Alonso went 4-for-4 with a three-run home run and Christian Encarnacion-Strand also homered and drove in three runs Tuesday night for the visiting Baltimore Orioles in a 13-1 romp against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jackson Holliday added three hits and right-hander Chris Bassitt pitched effectively into the seventh inning for the Orioles, who continue to hang close in a crowded American League wild-card race despite being four games under .500.
Alonso’s 31st homer of the season keyed a four-run third inning and Encarnacion-Strand’s seventh homer capped it. Alonso, who came in with 13 homers in 39 career games against the Cardinals, drove in four runs before being removed in the bottom of the fifth. The Orioles, who went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position, tied their season high in runs scored.
Bassitt (5-4) gave the Orioles a boost in his third start back since having surgery in June to remove bone spurs from his back. Bassitt allowed a run and six hits (five singles) to go with five strikeouts and no walks over 6 1/3 innings.
Nathan Church hit a solo home run for the Cardinals, who dropped their fourth straight and slipped a game under .500. They didn’t help themselves in the National League wild-card chase after coming in five games back.
Matthew Liberatore (5-12) allowed a career-high eight runs on eight hits and a walk in four-plus innings. Liberatore’s ERA rose to 5.44 in 26 starts, and he has lost his last four starts and his last six decisions.
Dylan Beavers and Leody Taveras drove in two runs apiece for the Orioles, who had lost five of seven coming in.
Holliday started the fifth with a sharp single, beginning an eight-run inning where the Orioles sent 13 batters to the plate against Liberatore and relievers Peter Strzelecki and Caleb Ferguson. A son of Cardinals great Matt Holliday, the younger Holliday grew up in St. Louis, and his family watched the game from the front row behind home plate.
Cardinals backup catcher Pedro Pages, making his second appearance on the mound in four days, faced the minimum in the ninth inning.