We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies.
Customize Consent Preferences
We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.
The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ...
Always Active
Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.
No cookies to display.
Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.
No cookies to display.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
No cookies to display.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
No cookies to display.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the Orioles went through their series in Toronto without announcing Kyle Bradish as Thursday’s starter, it caused concern about the health of his elbow.
When pitching prospect Cade Povich was promoted to start Thursday and Cole Irvin was announced as Friday’s starter, it only provided more fuel for the anxiety about a pitching staff that has already lost two members to season-ending elbow injuries. Bradish, the Orioles’ ace last year, missed the first month of this season after partially tearing a ligament in his elbow and receiving platelet-rich plasma injections in January to heal it.
But from the moment Bradish bounced toward the mound at Tropicana Field on Saturday, it was clear his elbow is fine.
In fact, Bradish isn’t just fine. He’s better than ever.
Bradish twirled six scoreless innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts to lead Baltimore to a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander allowed an infield single to the first batter he faced, and then he and his bullpen teamed up to retire the next 26 batters in order before a two-out single in the ninth. If not for Rays leadoff hitter Yandy Díaz, who hit both singles, the Orioles could’ve pitched the first perfect game in club history.
Ryan O’Hearn’s fourth-inning home run gave Bradish a 1-0 lead, while Jordan Westburg’s RBI triple in the eighth and Gunnar Henderson’s three-run blast in the ninth provided insurance to seal the club’s second straight win over its American League East foe.
After Díaz’s 72.1 mph infield hit, Bradish retired the next 18 batters in order, striking out half of them with his elite mix of two-seam fastballs, sliders, curveballs and four-seamers. If not for Diaz’s leadoff single, it would’ve been Bradish’s second no-hit bid in three starts after he got through seven innings without allowing a knock May 26 in Chicago. The 27-year-old has a 2.62 ERA through seven starts, with the lone hiccup the five runs he surrendered in 2 2/3 innings against the Rays last weekend.
