If you’re an eagle-eyed consumer of random Orioles stats, you might have seen that the Orioles are 7-3 on Wednesdays, so this game was pretty much in the bag before a pitch was thrown. Or was it that incredibly involved handshake Pete Alonso and Adley Rutschman tried out in the dugout? Or was it … Kyle Bradish being awesome?
Chalk it up to luck, or skill, or what, this was an excellent all-around win for the Orioles. After a deflating offensive performance on Tuesday night, the team hitters managed
a solid eight-hit, three-run effort against Seattle’s George Kirby, a solid competitor with a great fastball. As for Baltimore starter, Kyle Bradish, what to say other than that this was arguably his finest start of the year. The right hander pitched into the eighth inning (7.2 IP), allowing just one run on five hits while punching out twelve. His curveball was sick.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Tommy John survivor, but if he’s snapping off breaking balls like this, hitters, beware. He’s finding his ace form again.
The two starters traded zeros for the first two innings. Kirby was throwing heat, with 98 dotted on the corners, and he retired Taylor Ward, Gunnar Henderson, and Adley in order.
Bradish got through a clean first inning himself, largely because Adley Rutschman is a good catcher. Bradish struck out J.P. Crawford on a third strike call that Adley challenged from behind the plate, ABS revealing that the ball was in by a millimeter. Gutsy challenge! Cal Raleigh singled. A couple of pitches later, the Seattle catcher then took off for second on a wayward curveball that bounced in front of Adley, but he underestimated his fellow backstop, because Adley slid to the left, grabbed the ball and fired to ring up Raleigh at second. Then Julio Rodríguez went fishing on a curveball.
The Bradish breaking ball claimed a couple more victims in the second. After whiffing Dominic Canzone with another, Bradish walked Victor Robles, a man who is difficult to walk, but Colt Emerson swung over another curve.
The Orioles’ first rally began with one in out the third. Blake Alexander managed an inside-out swing and then, with two outs and a 1-1 count, George Kirby tried to sneak an inside fastball by Gunnar Henderson. He failed. Henderson got all of it, driving the ball 370 feet to center-right, one of the prettiest home runs I’ve seen an Oriole hit this year. See if you agree.
After Gunnar put his team up 2-0, Kyle Bradish managed a shutdown third inning. Battling, he finished off J.P. Crawford with a fastball at the top of the zone, and then he caught Miles Mastrobuoni staring at a slider.
The Mariners got one run back off Bradish in the fourth. Cal Raleigh kept fouling off balls, but he flew out on a 3-2 fastball. But Julio Rodríguez got an outside fastball, and he drove it over the head of Tyler O’Neill in right. I know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t a makeable play. Then Dominic Canzone singled through the middle, plating Rodríguez. The Mariners were down by just one.
In the meantime, two Orioles hit singles were stranded, of a fashion. Samuel Basallo got thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double, and Blaze Alexander and Taylor Ward hit back-to-back singles in the fifth, Alexander’s second of the game.
Bradish got through a scoreless fifth, courtesy of a breaking ball so deceptive that he bounced one in front of Colt Emerson and still got him swinging through it, and again, his defense. With one out, Connor Joe hit a single that bounced in front of Leody Taveras, who muffed it, letting the ball roll behind him in center while Connor Joe circled the bases. Then, another turn: the relay hit Gunnar Henderson, who fired a perfect throw to third, just in time to catch Joe. Then Adley challenged another non-call, and again, he was right: three outs. Adley really loves that ABS challenge.
How long could Bradish go? Through the sixth? No problem, it’d turn out, again through a combination of curveballs and great defense. Big Bopper Cal Raleigh hit a ball to deep right, going, going, and… caught by a leaping Tyler O’Neill, taking away at least extra bases! You saw it coming all along, right? Then Bradish racked up his season-high tenth strikeout. Snazzy.
I was kind of surprised to see Kyle Bradish come back out for the seventh—at a tidy 77 pitches, no less—but he sure did. And despite walking the leadoff man, he got two quick popouts and a ground ball. And even more surprised to see Bradish out for the eighth, but out he came and struck out Connor Joe, and wow, was this a nice sight to see. He allowed a single, but then racked up his twelfth strikeout. Wow, Bradish.
Last night, the Orioles couldn’t buy a hit after the first inning. Tonight, the cavalry made it With Pete Alonso aboard with a single, Leody Taveras hit a triple off a tiring Kirby. Alonso duly chugged home and made it 3-1.
With Kirby out after six, the Orioles scored a quick fourth run against right-hander Alex Hoppe put Jackson Holliday and Blaze Alexander aboard with no outs, Blaze hitting his third single of the day to move Holliday to third. There would be no RBI for Taylor Ward, who hit into a double play, but in that situation the run still scores, anyway, and 4-1 felt like a nice cushion.
It wasn’t enough of a cushion—but it didn’t have to be, as Jackson Holliday homered to make it 5-1 before closer Ryan Helsley, just off the IL, allowed two back-to-back home runs to make it 5-3. OK, a bit of rust. Then, he started pitching: groundout, swinging K, swinging K. That’s good to see!
This was an elegant, all-around win for a team that alternates between bad and good, depending on the day. I don’t want to prejudge the Most Birdland question, but perhaps most excitingly, Kyle Bradish looked like a fricking ace again. If you somehow hate starting pitching, then give your consideration who Gunnar Henderson, who got the scoring started (that’s important) with a two-run jack off Kirby and had a crucial play to nab a runner at third. Or Blaze Alexander, quietly crushing it in the nine-spot with a 3-for-3 day and a walk.
The Birds face Bryan Woo and the M’s at 4:10 ET tomorrow with Shane Baz countering in hopes of a series win.
