Kyle Bradish looks to continue his recent success and help the Baltimore Orioles snap a three-game losing streak when they host the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
Minnesota snapped its own three-game losing streak when it hit three homers in an 8-1 win in the series opener on Friday.
Bradish (4-3, 3.75 ERA) is aiming to win a third consecutive start. The right-hander is 2-1 with 2.37 ERA over his past three starts, striking out 16 and walking four in 19 innings.
On Sunday, he held the Seattle Mariners to two runs on two hits over seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two while throwing a season-high 103 pitches. Bradish retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced in a 3-2 win.
“Got ahead of guys and really put the pressure on them,” catcher Anthony Bemboom said. “A lot of defensive swings because he was ahead in counts. Mixed really well, threw a lot of different pitches for strikes and just made pitches when he needed to.”
Bradish got a no-decision in his only previous start against the Twins, his second major league appearance in May 2022, when he allowed four runs and six hits in four innings.
The Twins held a players-only meeting after losing their third straight game to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, and manager Rocco Baldelli was candid in his appraisal of his team.
After Minnesota got a day off on Thursday, Pablo Lopez pitched six strong innings on Friday, Byron Buxton hit a three-run homer and the Twins scored in each of the first four innings against the Orioles.
Joey Gallo and Max Kepler also homered and Royce Lewis had three hits for the Twins. Buxton added a double, a walk and a stolen base, and he scored twice. Carlos Correa, batting leadoff for just the fourth time in his career, was one of five Twins with at least two hits.
“I think everyone went into this game with a little bit of an alternative mindset,” Baldelli said. “I think everyone was locked in on everyone else’s at-bats, really paying attention to everything going on in the game instead of just preparing for their stuff.”
Adley Rutschman provided the Orioles’ run with a solo homer in the sixth inning off Lopez, and Austin Hays had two hits.
Baltimore starter Dean Kremer didn’t make it through the fourth inning, but the Orioles got good work from reliever Nick Vespi, who was recalled earlier on Friday from Triple-A Norfolk. He tossed three scoreless innings in his 2023 debut.
“The highlight tonight for me was Vespi,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I thought he did a great job.”
Minnesota will start Bailey Ober (4-4, 2.97 ERA) on Saturday. The right-hander is 1-4 with a 3.89 ERA over his past seven starts, with 38 strikeouts and eight walks in 39 1/3 innings.
In his latest outing, Ober allowed three runs on five hits over six innings of a no-decision against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. He struck out a season-high eight batters — including four of the last seven he faced — while walking one.
“I wanted to attack these guys and fill up the zone,” Ober said. “I didn’t want to put any free passes on. I felt like I did that throughout the game. I felt like I was getting stronger as the game went on.”
Ober has never faced the Orioles.
–Field Level Media
