Kyle Bradish probably should have been the big story for the Baltimore Orioles tonight. Needless to say, he was part of the big story. Bradish’s line: 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
Bradish didn’t surrender a hit until the sixth inning. That’s why I say he should have been the big story. But it was what went on at the plate for the Birds which took the cake tonight.
Pete Alonso led the second inning off with a double, and he later scored on Samuel Basallo’s RBI-single. Basallo did make the unfortunate decision to try to stretch the single into a double, and was thrown out at second base. Sometimes common sense needs to overrule exuberance.
But the O’s didn’t let that bother them. Pete Alonso smacked a two-run home run in the last of the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0. But one inning later it was Coby Mayo who gave us the highlight of the night. He smacked a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-0, and in doing so hit the ball off the facade of the second deck in left field.
Keep in mind, earlier in the season when these teams met in Kansas City, Mayo hit a tape measure homer. Then earlier this week against Chicago he joined an elusive club of players (which includes Pete Alonso as an opponent) who had hit the ball into the second deck. And then he more or less did it again tonight – smacking it off the facade.
Taylor Ward joined the homer parade in the sixth, his first home run at Camden Yards as an Oriole. After breaking up Bradish’s no-hit bid, Kansas City would get on the board in the seventh on a sac fly-RBI by Perez. But just to show the Birds weren’t kidding, Gunnar Henderson restored their five-run margin with a solo shot in the eighth, leading the O’s to a 6-1 victory.
The O’s once again have a shot at a four-game winning streak if they can win tomorrow. Either way, they’ve won the series. But a four-game winning streak would go a long way towards helping the O’s to perhaps get over the hunp.
The series and the first half conclude tomorrow at Camden Yards. Shane Baz gets the start for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Seth Lugo. Game time is set for just after 1:30 PM.
Birdland Crush 