The Orioles anticipated that Kyle Bradish would be a huge boost to the starting rotation when he returned from the injured list.
The right-hander certainly delivered an encouraging performance in his first start of the year.
Bradish did not factor into the decision in a 7-2 victory against the New York Yankees on May 2. He allowed one run on four hits, two walks and one hit batter with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings. He threw 84 pitches (51 strikes).
It didn’t take long for Bradish to get comfortable on the mound.
“I was definitely nervous, but I get nervous before every start,” Bradish said. “That is just anticipation of being a starter, you have four or five days between outings to look ahead and get prepared. But once I threw that first pitch, I was focused and locked in. Just ready to go.”
Bradish, 27, became the ace of the starting rotation last year, going 12-7 with that 2.83 ERA with 168 strikeouts in 168.2 innings. However, he underwent a plasma-rich platelet injection in January for a UCL sprain, which took time to heal.
However, there does not appear to be any lingering effects. Bradish allowed five runs and 12 hits with 14 strikeouts and four walks in 11.1 innings across three rehab starts in April.
The hope now is he can stay healthy.
“I knew how disappointed he was to not be able to pitch in spring and to be with us,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s worked so hard and it means a lot to him to come back.
“And you know, just to miss him for the first month and to have other guys step up and for him to join us now, it’s a great feeling. But he has worked his tail off to get to this point. We’re so excited to have him back.”
Grayson Rodriguez Shut Down
Just as the Orioles received good news with Bradish’s return from the IL, the team now has injury concerns regarding fellow starter Grayson Rodriguez.
The right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list because of inflammation in his right shoulder. The move is retroactive to April 30.
As such, John Means will take the spot of Rodriguez in the rotation. Means will make his season debut on May 4 against the Cincinnati Reds after spending the beginning of the season on the IL with a left forearm strain. Albert Suárez has moved to the bullpen.
Rodriguez will be missed after going 4-1 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP through seven starts this season. However, the expectation is that he will return to the starting rotation fully healthy.
“We’re definitely doing this to be precautionary, but he woke up after [his April 29] start the next morning with some right shoulder soreness, and he had some tests yesterday,” Hyde said. “He’s getting some tests in the next couple of days. Just wanted to give him at least a couple of weeks off to let everything kind of calm down.
“He’s a big part of the rotation, we need him this year, and we’re just giving him some time off.”
Orioles Dominate Yankees
After losing two of three games to the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards, there were questions about how the Orioles would perform in an early-yet-crucial four-game series against the Yankees.
The Orioles delivered a resounding message that they are the team to beat in AL East once again.
With a 7-2 win on May 2, the Orioles took three of the four games and won their seventh series of the year.
“It’s still early,” Hyde said after the final game against the Yankees. “That’s a really, really good team and we saw how good their pitching is this series. They are going to win a ton of games with a lineup that is going to score runs. … It’s four of [13] we play, so we still see them nine more times. But I’m happy with how this series went.”
The Orioles have gone 12-0-4 in their last 16 series against the AL East since late April 2023 and are 36-17 overall in those games during that span.
The Orioles are in first place in the AL East at 20-11 and now head to Cincinnati for a three-game weekend series and then play two games in Washington.
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