Kyle Bradish may have given the Baltimore Orioles the best outing of the season today in Tampa. Granted however, there are some pretty decent other outings. Including a few from Bradish, who of course had a bit of an extended “hiatus” from the rotation. Bradish’s line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K.
Keep in mind that Bradish threw seven no-hit innings a couple of starts ago. And he followed that up today with six innings of one-hit ball. That’s about as impressive as you’ll get.
Unfortunately for the O’s, Tampa’s pitching was almost just as impressive. ALMOST just as impressive. Not quite on the same level, however.
Ryan O’Hearn gave the Orioles a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the fourth inning. And that stood up as the only run of the game for a period. And with how Bradish and the Orioles’ bullpen were looking, that’s all they were going to need. However Jordan Westburg would add an RBI-triple in the eighth to give the Orioles just a little bit of breathing rooms. Not much, but a little.
However more insurance would come later. An inning later to be exact. With nobody out and Connor Norby already on base, Cedric Mullins drew a walk. That brought Gunnar Henderson to the plate, and he gave the Orioles about as much insurance as anyone would need, with a three-run homer. This to the delight of the throngs of Orioles fans in the stands at Tropicana Field, and of course the folks back home.
Cionel Perez closed the game out in the ninth, and the Birds have now taken the first two of four in Tampa. The Birds surrendered two hits today. One in the first inning and one in the ninth. That’s impressive.
As much as Cedric Mullins is struggling right now, that walk he drew in the ninth inning was big. It flipped the order over, and brought Henderson to the plate with two runners on. It was also a good at-bat, as Mullins battled back. He started down two strikes in the count, and worked a walk.
The series continues tomorrow at Tropicana Field. Grayson Rodriguez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Tampa’s Zach Littell. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 