Kyle Bradish’s season is done, and the Orioles made it official by putting him on the 15-day injured list Wednesday morning with lower abdominal discomfort.
That move ended a year that had already started to unravel late. Bradish was knocked around again in his latest outing, lasting just three innings in a 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre while giving up five runs and eight hits.
The rough finish fit the recent pattern: he closed August by allowing seven runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings in St. Louis, then gave up seven earned runs and 10 total with 16 hits in 12 innings across his three September starts.
The biggest problem lately has been the free passes. Bradish issued 16 walks over his last six appearances, a stretch that made it hard for him to settle in even when he had enough stuff to compete.
Yaramil Hiraldo was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to take Bradish’s roster spot.
Bradish’s first full season back from ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in 2024 was supposed to be a step forward, and in some ways it was. He made 29 starts, just one shy of his 2023 total, when he finished fourth in Cy Young voting. His 155 innings left him 13 2/3 short of his career high.
Still, the workload chatter never really stopped. He had thrown only 71 1/3 combined innings in 2024-25, which fueled the idea that he might be wearing down.
Bradish pushed back on that yesterday, telling the media his arm felt “great.” He also said nothing about any abdominal issue.
Manager Craig Albernaz said “everything is on the table” with Bradish, and that included the injured list. “With KB, he’s such a competitor, and he’s been our guy all year,” Albernaz said. “We feel comfortable giving him the ball every time he pitches.”
That won’t happen again until 2027.
With 13 games left in the season, the Orioles are off again Thursday after wrapping up a three-game set against the Mets at Citi Field. Brandon Young, Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt are lined up to start in the series, and left-hander Trevor Rogers could go Friday on normal rest.
Bradish’s final line leaves him at 7-14 with a 4.12 ERA and 1.458 WHIP. He struck out 142 and walked 70, and his 29 starts matched Baz for the team lead.
If Baltimore needs another arm for the rotation, left-hander Cade Povich looks like a possible return option. Luis De León, who began in the minors as a starter before moving to short relief, has already made his major league debut.
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Orioles Wild Card Hopes Keep Fading After Another Brutal Loss
The Orioles had an early opening at Rogers Centre, loading the bases in the first inning, but the big chance came and went without a run. Baltimore kept chasing from there, and Toronto finally took control in the fifth before rolling to an 8-1 win that left the Orioles at 72-78 and drifting farther behind the Guardians in the Wild Card race.
For a club trying to stay relevant in September, the frustration was less about one bad night than the pattern underneath it. Baltimore could not cash in when it mattered, and the Blue Jays made them pay by turning a tense game into a comfortable one in the middle innings, another reminder that the margin for error keeps shrinking with every loss. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Wild Card Push Is Running Out Of Time
The Orioles needed a steadier night on the mound to keep pace in the Wild Card race, but instead they got another uneven outing in a 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Kyle Bradish was tagged for five runs in three innings, and Baltimore spent much of the night chasing the game while trying to stay in touch with the teams ahead of it in the standings.
With 13 games left, the margin for error has all but disappeared. Baltimore sits three games behind Cleveland for the final American League Wild Card spot, which leaves little room for losses like this one as the club tries to hang on in a crowded finish. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Just Got A Reminder How Little Margin They Have
Torontos stumble in the opener was a useful one-night reminder for Baltimore of just how quickly the American League wild-card picture can shift. The Blue Jays arrived having won four straight, then dropped into a stretch where they had lost four of five, leaving them two games behind Cleveland for the third wild-card spot and just one game ahead of the Orioles entering Saturday.
Baltimore could not assume that edge would hold for long. The Jays answered in the next game with a 7-3 win, and even with some defensive mistakes mixed in, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk supplied the kind of offense that can erase a deficit in a hurry. For the Orioles, it was another glimpse at the narrow margin separating them from the group they are trying to chase down. [Read more 🡒]
