Kyle Bradish threw seven innings without allowing a hit, striking out 11 batters, as the Baltimore Orioles won 4-1 against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, completing a sweep of their four-game series.
Bradish (1-0) missed the start of the season due to a right elbow injury but made an impressive return, walking four batters in his fifth start since coming back. He threw 103 pitches, with 63 of them being strikes.
Danny Coulombe took over in the eighth inning, and Danny Mendick hit a pinch-hit home run to left field, securing Chicago’s only hit of the game. It was Mendick’s second home run of the season.
Manager Brandon Hyde decided to pull Bradish out of the game due to his high pitch count. “There was no other choice unfortunately,” Hyde explained. “He threw 103 pitches, which is quite a lot, especially considering his recent elbow injury and everything.”
Bradish, whose ERA dropped to 1.75, understood he wouldn’t be able to finish the game.
“Four walks kind of took me out of the running,” Bradish admitted. “Maybe without those, but when I left the game, I had confidence in the bullpen. A pinch-hit home run, it happens. That’s baseball.”
The White Sox, currently in last place, lost their fifth consecutive game and ninth out of their last ten. “When you see a zero on the scoreboard, you know the no-hitter is still on,” Mendick said. “I wanted to break it up.”
Adley Rutschman and Colton Cowser hit home runs for Baltimore, who finished their 4-3 road trip successfully after being swept by St. Louis.
Craig Kimbrel closed the game with a perfect ninth inning, earning his 12th save of the season. The game started after a delay of 1 hour and 40 minutes due to rain.
The Orioles took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. Jordan Westburg singled with one out, and Rutschman followed with a 400-foot home run to left field, ending Garrett Crochet’s 24-inning scoreless streak.
