Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish only allowed one hit today against the Nationals. If you’re looking for a positive story, you should probably stop reading now. The lack of hits did not bring the desired results. Bradish walked five hitters in only four innings of work, and Washington’s Luis García Jr. tortured Baltimore in a 6-4 Nationals victory at Camden Yards.
The Orioles actually got off to an encouraging start. Adley Rutschman picked up a two-out single in his first at bat after returning from the injured list. Pete Alonso worked the count full and fouled off a high heater before catching an elevated slider. Alonso tagged the ball 437 feet to dead center, and the Orioles led 2-0 at the end of one.
Advertisement
Bradish breezed through the first two innings and retired the first two batters in the third. Unfortunately, that’s where things began to fall apart. Bradish came within one strike of ending the inning in three consecutive at bats, but he kept letting batters off the hook. The righty issued free passes to Keibert Ruiz and James Woods before running the count full to Luis García Jr. Bradish managed to throw a pitch in the zone, but García turned the 96 MPH sinker around for a two-run double.
Bradish bounced back by generating a weak grounder from Curtis Mead, but Coby Mayo made a costly throwing error. Despite having plenty of time, Mayo spiked his throw to first. Samuel Basallo, playing first today with Alonso slotted as the DH, failed to pick the errant throw. García raced to the plate as the ball trickled by, and the Nationals secured a 3-2 lead.
Bradish walked two more batters in the fourth but managed to post a zero. He returned to the mound in the fifth, but exited after walking the leadoff hitter. Craig Albernaz summoned Tyler Wells for some long relief, but the move aged like milk. García Jr. delivered the Nats second hit of the game. This one was a 401-foot long ball that provided D.C. a 5-2 advantage.
Albert Suárez replaced Wells and tossed a scoreless sixth. Suárez struck out Woods to start the seventh, but García Jr. continued to see red in his next at bat. The 26-year-old smoked a line drive to deep right field. The ball was initially ruled in play, but replay revealed that the ball had left the yard. Washington led the game 6-2 behind García Jr.’s three extra-base hits.
Advertisement
The Orioles offense cooled after the early offense. Zack Littell entered the game with a 5.40 ERA, but he delivered a shutdown inning in the third. Baltimore failed to reach base in the fourth, and the Birds suffered some bad luck in the fifth. Taylor Ward was robbed of extra bases by an impressive catch at third base, and Gunnar Henderson just missed a run-scoring double on a ball that landed an inch left of the foul line.
Littell completed five innings to put himself in position for a win. Washington’s bullpen has been rocky all season, and Baltimore made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Colton Cowser reached with a base hit to center, and Jackson Holliday launched a ball over the fence in right field. The blast traveled 389 feet and cut the deficit in half.
Taylor Ward brought the tying run to the plate by working a walk, but Henderson flew out to end the inning. Henderson finished 0-for-4.
“Gunnar is just not getting the results that he wants,” Albernaz said after the game. “Nothing is falling for him right now.”
Advertisement
The Birds went down in order in the eighth. Coby Mayo worked a walk in the ninth, but pinch hitters Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras failed to deliver. O’Neill lined out to center field, and Taveras grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The Orioles dropped the series and fell to 39-46. Rutschman reached base multiple times and threw out a runner in his first game back. Cowser made several nice plays, and there were the big flies from Alonso and Holliday. There were a few positives, but not nearly enough. Bradish didn’t have it today, and García Jr. is on an absolute tear, but the Orioles beat themselves again with the throwing error in the third.
The struggling American League continues to keep Baltimore alive in the Wild Card race, but the Birds are in no position to be dropping a series like this at home. The Orioles will look to get back on track tomorrow evening against the White Sox.
