After more than two years and 106 regular-season series without being swept, the Orioles’ streak came to an end in St. Louis on Wednesday. After losing the resumption of their Tuesday night game suspended by rain, 3-1, the Orioles lost their regularly scheduled game, 5-3.
The streak began on May 19th, 2022 when the Orioles won the final game of a four-game series against the New York Yankees after losing six straight games. Their last sweep came on May 13th-15th when they lost three straight to Detroit.
It was the third-longest streak in baseball history and the most by an American League team. The 1942-44 Cardinals hold the sweepless streak record at 124, and the 1906-1909 Chicago Cubs had a streak of 115.
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The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the third when they scored three unearned runs against former teammate Kyle Gibson.
Oriole starter John Means left the game after three innings with the lead, and then after an 84-minute rain delay, Cole Irvin allowed five runs, two of them unearned.
Manager Brandon Hyde said Means, who had Tommy John surgery in April 2022, was removed with left elbow discomfort and he’ll undergo tests.
In the sixth, errors by shortstop Gunnar Henderson and catcher James McCann allowed the Cardinals to score four runs and take a 4-3 lead.
The key hit was a two-run double by Brendan Donovan, who scored when McCann’s throw to third was wild.
In the ninth, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins began the inning with singles. Lars Nootbaar made a leaping catch on Kyle Stowers’ drive to right and doubled up Mullins at first as Hays scored. Gunnar Henderson grounded to short on the first pitch to end the game and the streak.
Nolan Gorman’s two-run home run against Keegan Akin in the sixth inning of the suspended game gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead. The Orioles had just three hits in the game. They also had just three hits in Monday’s 6-3 loss.
The Orioles will move on to Chicago for a four-game series that begins on Thursday night.