The promotions of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers to the majors reduced the number of Orioles storylines that create interest over the final month-plus of a hugely disappointing season.
The ball is in Kyle Bradish’s court. And his right hand.
Bradish starts tonight for the first time since June 14, 2024, when he came out of the game after five innings and only 74 pitches. He tossed six scoreless innings with only one hit allowed in his previous outing. Something was wrong.
We knew. Bradish received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow five months early in an attempt to avoid reconstructive elbow surgery. Each start, each pitch, brought its own drama.
How long could he last?
Bradish jogged out of the dugout that night, twisted his body sideways while leaping over the first base line and pounded his fist into his glove. The same routine. But Phillies leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber launched a curveball 406 feet into the seats in right-center field, the first homer allowed by Bradish in 11 starts dating back to 2023.
Then-manager Brandon Hyde made the pitching change with the Orioles down 2-1. To signal for a reliever, he raised an arm and suspicions.
Bradish’s surgery was the third in 17 days for Orioles pitchers, after John Means and Tyler Wells. Wells had an ulnar collateral ligament revision procedure with an internal brace augmentation.
“Kyle, enormous talent, enormous part of the team. This is a huge blow,” executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said on the day of Bradish’s surgery.
“This guy is really a tough hombre. He gave us everything he had and we’re going to miss him.”
Bradish may need a little time to get back to the form that produced a 2.75 ERA and 1.068 WHIP last season in eight starts, with 53 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. To become the same pitcher, if not better, who tossed seven hitless innings against the White Sox in Chicago on May 26 and limited the Rays to one hit with nine strikeouts in six scoreless at Tropicana Field.
The Orioles can be patient with Bradish, who isn’t stepping into a pennant race. Getting him back this month allows the club to build up his innings, whatever the results, and give him a normal offseason and spring training. And it allows the media and fans to track his progress and make a big deal over every outing.
The ovation tonight when he’s introduced and again when he leaps over the first base line and begins to warm will rank as one of the highlights of the season. The bar is pretty low but this is a moment to soak in, and another one is around the corner with Wells joining the expanded roster next month.
The Orioles instantly became a lot more interesting with Basallo and Beavers, and with Coby Mayo starting most nights at first base. The level gets another bump with a rotation that includes Bradish, Wells and Trevor Rogers, who could appear on some Cy Young ballots.
Rogers has allowed two runs or fewer in 11 consecutive starts to set the club record. His 1.40 ERA is the lowest by an Orioles pitcher in his first 13 starts, and the fourth-lowest by any left-hander since 1947 behind Vida Blue (1.31 in 1971), Hyun Jim Ryu (1.36 in 2019) and John Tudor (1.38 in 1988).
“I don’t know what the thresholds are for him,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said yesterday. “If he meets the thresholds on them, absolutely. Who’s pitched better than that guy in the time that he’s been here?
“If he’s pitched better than everybody else and he’s hit the thresholds, then I think he should win.”
* Colton Cowser homered and had a two-run single last night to account for all of the Orioles’ runs in a 4-3 loss. He also extended his season-best hitting streak to six games and has hit safely in seven of his last eight since being reinstated from the concussion injured list on Aug. 17.
Cowser’s produced three homers in his last four games, and he has nine hits and eight RBIs in the last six games.
“I think it’s something that lately, whenever I was in a little lull, just coming off injury and then playing well and then getting banged up, continuing to play through that, I think it’s one of those things that ebbs and flows,” he said.
“I think I kind of went through a period where I felt like my timing was off. Felt like for me to hit the other stuff, I had to be super on time for the fastball, and I think getting in the cage and continuing to work, it’s one of those things where I realized I have more time than I know. So just trying to be a little bit more relaxed and making sure when I’m loading, I’m downhill, and when I do that, I can adjust to a lot of things.”
Cowser has 16 RBIs in his first 16 career games against the Red Sox, becoming the fourth Oriole with at least that amount, joining Trey Mancini (18), Eddie Murray (16) and Ron Hansen (17)
* Four Orioles have hit their first major league home runs this season – Mayo, Beavers, Jeremiah Jackson and Luis Vázquez. And this leads to the obvious follow:
What’s the franchise record?
Glad you asked. And glad that I asked STATS.
Six Orioles hit their first home runs in 1958 – Jim Marshall, Billy O’Dell, Milt Pappas, Willie Tasby, Chuck Oertel and Leo Burke. There are seven seasons with five first-timers – 1999 (Willie Otanez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Ryan Minor, Mike Figga, Jesse Garcia), 1986 (John Stefero, Al Pardo, Jim Traber, Tom Dodd, Ken Gerhart), 1977 (Billy Smith, Eddie Murray, Rich Dauer, Dave Criscione, Dave Skaggs), 1973 (Al Bumbry, Rich Coggins, Enos Cabell, Jim Fuller, Frank Baker), 1968 (Gene Brabender, Elrod Hendricks, Bruce Howard, Dave McNally, Merv Rettenmund), 1960 (Ron Hansen, Marv Breeding, Dave Nicholson, Jack Fisher, Jerry Adair), and 1956 (Tito Francona, Jim Pyburn, Ray Moore, Bob Hale, Brooks Robinson).
The 2025 Orioles are in an 11-way tie with four. Most recent was 2022 with Adley Rutschman, Kyle Stowers, Gunnar Henderson and Terrin Vavra.