Bradish's Masterpiece
Orioles end losing streak as Kyle Bradish strikes out career-high 12 in 5-3 victory
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Kyle Bradish struck out a career-high 12 batters and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3 on Tuesday, snapping a three-game losing streak. Bradish pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on five hits while throwing 65 of his 100 pitches for strikes. Newsday reported the performance as the sharpest of Bradish's comeback from major elbow reconstruction surgery that had sidelined him for nearly two seasons.
Gunnar Henderson homered for the 15th time this season, and Jackson Holliday added a solo shot in the ninth. The win moves Baltimore to 35-40 on the year, pulling them within 2.5 games of the third AL Wild Card spot, according to Yahoo Sports.
Bradish Ditches the Slider, Dominates with Curveball
Bradish's dominance was no accident. Analysts noted he "shelved the slider" in favor of a heavy curveball, which generated a 41% whiff rate on the night, according to Sports Illustrated. His previous two June starts had gone sideways — he surrendered five runs in each. On Tuesday, he was nearly untouchable.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said after the game, "The pairing of the two breaking balls with the heater was really fun to watch. Some really good pitches on some really good hitters that he got to chase." Bradish recorded his 12th strikeout in the eighth inning before being pulled with two outs. Yennier Cano entered to finish the frame.
Henderson and Holliday Provide the Offensive Punch
Baltimore struck first in the third inning. Blaze Alexander singled, and Henderson followed with a two-run home run to right-center field — his 15th of the season. The Orioles extended the lead to 3-1 in the sixth when Leody Taveras hit a two-out triple to score Pete Alonso, according to Lancaster Online.
Holliday added insurance with a solo homer — his fourth of the year — to center field in the ninth inning. It pushed the score to 5-1 and gave Baltimore breathing room heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Helsley Returns, Immediately Surrenders Back-to-Back Homers
Ryan Helsley made his first appearance since April 28, returning from the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. He wasted no time finding trouble — surrendering back-to-back home runs on his first two pitches to Dominic Canzone and Cole Young. The score tightened to 5-3. All nine of Helsley's pitches were strikes, according to CBS Sports.
Helsley recovered to retire the final three batters and earn the save. "Overall, I feel really good. I'm just excited to be back up on the team," he told the Associated Press. His ERA climbed from 2.53 to 3.86 following the outing. The Orioles' bullpen entered Tuesday ranked 21st in the majors with a 4.57 ERA, per Yardbarker, making Helsley's return critical to their playoff push.
Julio RodrÃguez Makes History, Then Exits with Hamstring Injury
Seattle's brightest moment came with a cloud attached. Julio RodrÃguez doubled in the fourth inning to reach 125 home runs, 125 doubles, and 125 stolen bases — doing it in just 665 games. That makes him the third-fastest player in MLB history to hit that mark, behind Ronald Acuña Jr. (591 games) and Alfonso Soriano (643 games), according to the San Mateo Daily Journal.
The milestone celebration was short-lived. In the sixth inning, RodrÃguez struck out and was seen talking to a trainer on his way back to the dugout. He did not return. Mariners manager Dan Wilson confirmed it was "a spasm in his hamstring," per Newsday. Seattle-area outlets called the injury a "devastating blow" to a Mariners offense that has already struggled for consistency this season.
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