ST. LOUIS — The fireworks went off at 11:24 a.m. Central, a little jolt for the players who would normally be drinking their first cup of coffee at that time.
Nolan Gorman, 15 hours after he was expected to take this at-bat, had just hit a two-run blast to give the Cardinals the lead in the bottom of the sixth as the Orioles and Cardinals picked up where they left off when severe storms rolled through St. Louis on Tuesday night, leading the game to be postponed. The Cardinals went on to win 3-1.
The series finale — which will feature John Means vs. former Oriole Kyle Gibson — will start approximately 30 minutes after the last out.
This time when Gorman stepped up, the sun was shining and just a few thousand fans sat scattered around Busch Stadium. Kyle Bradish, who was running out for the sixth on Tuesday when the game was put in a delay, sat in the dugout.
Sitting at 74 pitches, Bradish ran on the field at 8:09 p.m. Tuesday to pitch past the fifth inning for the first time this season. The umpires quickly waved him off — much to Bradish’s confusion, then disappointment that he couldn’t continue.
Bradish, who was making his fifth start after starting the year on the injured list with a right UCL sprain, said it was the strongest he’s felt. He gave up just one run in his five innings.
“I definitely felt like myself,” he said. “Both breaking balls were good for strikes and chase, and I was locating the fastball, working ahead of count. That’s where I need to be, and I felt like myself.”
Bradish, and his teammates, returned to the clubhouse, playing cards to entertain themselves and growing restless as they awaited the decision to send them to sleep or back to the field. After 90 minutes, the former was the answer.
They took the field again at 11:15 a.m. Central, ahead of the series finale, which was originally scheduled for 12:15 p.m. This time, Jacob Webb took the mound, coming out of the dugout instead of the bullpen. He got through Nolan Arenado and Alec Burleson, then walked Iván Herrera before lefty Keegan Akin came out to take over as the left-handed-hitting Gorman approached.
Gorman hit the two-run homer on the fourth pitch he saw.
The Orioles offense, which had just two hits prior to the storms rolling in, had just one more when the game resumed. Kyle Stowers and Jorge Mateo, the Orioles’ eighth and ninth batters, each had a double Tuesday. Ryan Mountcastle had a single Wednesday in the top of the seventh.
