Kyle Bradish, Orioles beat Guardians to win series

CLEVELAND — The taller the task the Orioles find themselves up against, the more emphatic they tend to respond. Should they be down in the ninth, they have nine walk-off wins on the year. Should they take off for a road trip that solely goes through two division leaders, they find themselves on the other end with two series wins.

Or should it be expectations casting them at the bottom of baseball, they now find themselves just on the doorstep of the postseason picture.

All that — save for the walk-off flair — was accomplished on Thursday night, Baltimore’s 3-0 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field capping off a winning road swing through Houston and Cleveland. On the backs of their second consecutive shutout — this one coming on the shoulders of Kyle Bradish’s second consecutive prolonged scoreless outing — the Orioles can feel like they’re offering statements to the rest of the league.

“It just puts [everyone] on notice that we’re for real this year,” Bradish said. “We’re gonna come in and play everybody hard. Doesn’t matter who you are.”

Starting September off with a win has the Orioles in an auspicious position. They find themselves 1 1/2 games back of the Blue Jays for the final AL Wild Card spot, a team they open a four-game set with on Monday in Baltimore. In the meantime, they get to host the AL-worst A’s for three games.

The good vibes are hard to miss around the Orioles’ clubhouse, this week especially. And there were three more statements made Thursday:

Bradish delivers an Orioles first
There was a time Bradish might have found himself in relatively forgotten territory. His first 10 career starts, most coming as the club’s No. 10-ranked prospect, saw him pitch to a 7.38 ERA. He found himself on the injured list shortly thereafter with right shoulder inflammation.

He’s making himself remembered now.

Bradish on Thursday became the first starter in Orioles history (since 1954) to record consecutive scoreless outings of at least seven innings and two or fewer hits allowed, and they came against the vaunted Astros and the first-place Guardians. Across baseball, he’s the first pitcher to accomplish this feat since Max Scherzer did it for the Dodgers on Sept. 12 and 18, 2021.

“It’s not easy to do,” said manager Brandon Hyde, “to do what he just did in two road-trip starts.”

“He’s just been fun to catch, he’s been on fire,” said catcher Adley Rutschman. “Just a tribute to his work ethic.”

In seven starts since returning from the IL, featuring a move to the first-base side of the rubber and pitching out of the stretch far more, Bradish owns a 2.66 ERA.

“We’ve been talking about it,” Anthony Santander, who homered in the first inning, said through team translator Brandon Quinones. “His pitches have been on fire lately. He’s been on fire lately.”

Gunnar Ripken?
Whether Gunnar Henderson’s glove sticks him at shortstop or third base long term might be one of the few uncertainties in his game. But he’s dazzled defensively at both positions in his first two MLB games.

On Thursday, lined up at short a day after playing third, it was a pair of ferocious plays Henderson turned behind Bradish that continued his viral insanity. The first was a double play he started in the fourth, picking a tough chopper, touching second base and then firing to Ryan Mountcastle. When Amed Rosario led off the sixth with a sharp grounder, Henderson dived to his right in the hole and fired an 89.3 mph strike to Mountcastle for the out.

On the MASN broadcast, Jim Palmer couldn’t help but simply laugh.

“Wow,” Bradish said. “As advertised.”

For good measure, Henderson stole the first base of his career in the ninth, hair flip and all.

Left it on Bieber
Perhaps the Orioles’ most winnable game on paper was the one they lost, Tuesday’s contest against solid but not ace-like right-hander Cal Quantrill. Their next two tasks were Triston McKenzie and 2020 AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber.

Those were the games they won.

After one pitch from Bieber, the Orioles had produced half as many runs as they had scored against him in his career prior to Thursday, with Cedric Mullins lofting the first pitch he saw to right field for a leadoff blast. By the time Santander homered two batters later, it equaled their all-time output against him.

And when Mountcastle added his own in the fourth, the Orioles had scored more runs in one start against Bieber than in three previous career outings combined.

And the statement came in tow.

“We’ve beaten some of the best teams in baseball in their parks, and we’ve won a lot of series,” Hyde said. “I know that the league has taken notice, and our guys are just playing with a bunch of confidence right now.”