Orioles Finally Snap Boston's Win Streak At 15 Behind Kyle Bradish

The Baltimore Orioles accomplished what no one in baseball had managed to do in two weeks.

They beat the Boston Red Sox.

It took the second game of a double header to do it, and it came with the Sox surprising some by not activating star Ranger Suarez for this night game, and instead going with a youngster whom the O’s suspect offense pounded. It was the opposite of the first game Wednesday, when Boston put up four in the first inning, and the Orioles scored four times off Eduardo Rivera and snapped Boston’s streak at 15 games with a 5-1 win at Fenway Park.

“It was definitely a huge win for us,” rookie manager Craig Albernaz said.

Given their roster issues and place in the standings, Baltimore needed Kyle Bradish to pitch like an ace and this team needed to grab a relatively comfortable lead early if at all possible, And Bradish, pitching for the first time since inking a long-term extension, shrugged off an 11-day absence and shoved from the first inning on.

A Red Sox team that has been stringing together big innings barely threatened Bradish. He probably could have gone deeper than six innings if asked, but it’s also going to bear monitoring how he’s used down the stretch coming off successive years in which he could not pitch even 40 innings around Tommy John surgery.

Bradish, with his curve looking sharp, surrendered only one walk and one single through three innings and limited the damage in the fourth to a single run on a two-out double and RBI single. Bradish didn’t generate much swing-and-miss (9) but largely stayed out of deep counts and gave up just four hits in the six innings he worked.

“KB stepped up big time,” Albernaz said. “And we all know who KB is and what he’s capable of … He did a great job of pounding the strike zone.”

Early Attack

The Orioles desperately needed to generate something at the plate as they have been unable to score much even while winning games lately and have struck out at a staggering rate. Rivera, just 23, had no idea where the ball was going, he couldn’t hit the zone consistently and needed 41 pitches to register just two outs.

The O’s still scored four times before that quick hook.

Pete Alonso doubled and Gunnar Henderson (looking like a different hitter than most of the season this series) walked but a run ended scoring on a wild pitch (it would happen again late in the game). Dylan Beavers tagged a two-run double with two out and Johnathan Rodriguez, just recalled with both catchers Samuel Basallo (shoulder) and Adley Rutschman (wrist) on the Injured List, drove Beavers in with a double.

"Anytime you get an opportunity to go out on the field it’s a blessing," Beavers told the MASN broadcast after the game. "And I try to take full advantage of that opportunity whenever I can."

Sox long-man Brayan Bello shut Baltimore down for 5 1/3 – scoring against anyone is going to be tough with Blaze Alexander also among those still on the IL and Henderson scored in the seventh after opening that inning with a triple to dead center.

Baltimore's three best relievers - Yennier Cano, Andrew Kittredge and Tyler Wells - combined to prevent any further scoring. It took a lot of the unusual suspects chipping in as well, which is going to have to continue to be the norm with the roster ailing.

Ultimately, the victory made for a 4-2 road trip – a rarity for a team that has struggled mightily away from home – but one that came at a cost and still revealed their many deficiencies fielding and hitting the baseball.

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