Kyle Bradish shines, Orioles put it all together to take series against Yankees

The change is so subtle it’s hard to discern at full speed. It takes a slow-motion look at Kyle Bradish’s delivery to notice how his left knee rises slightly less than it did and, because of that tweak, everything else seems to have fallen into place.

Bradish made that alteration ahead of his start last week, and it led to a seven-inning, three-run performance against the Athletics. He was even better in Wednesday’s 7-0 victory against the New York Yankees, displaying a level of dominance befitting an ace.

That is what the Orioles need Bradish to be, and in six innings with no runs and one hit against him, he lived up to those expectations. With the small change to his leg kick, Bradish feels as though he’s moving more efficiently toward the plate. The Orioles also altered his pitch usage, and the increased curveball approach has led to two straight quality starts.

His mechanics are simpler, Bradish said. “It kind of keeps me in like a 1-2-3 movement instead of a bunch of other moving pieces, just straight down the mound and rotate,” he said. And, because of that, Bradish looks as if he’s back to his best.

“That’s vintage K.B., the past two starts, so hopefully we keep that rolling,” manager Craig Albernaz said.

This was Baltimore’s most complete game of the season. The lineup clicked against left-hander Max Fried — who exited with elbow soreness and will undergo imaging Thursday — and the Yankees bullpen behind him. And, given the way the Orioles were swept in New York this month, taking two of three games at Camden Yards helps exorcise those four games in the Bronx.

“I think that’s what we’re capable of,” Albernaz said. “We’ve shown it. We’ve shown we can play a game like this. So, for our guys, it’s just anchoring to it, being consistent with it and being diligent with our work.”

This is not to say the Orioles (20-24) are back among the challengers for the American League pennant. The Yankees still carry a 27-17 record. But, in three of their last four games, the Orioles have played more promising baseball — sound defense, timelier hitting and strong outings from starting pitchers.

Those facets have not been frequently seen in conjunction with one another this season. The Orioles are in this unenviable position in the standings, albeit early in the year, because their starters entered Wednesday with a 5.19 ERA — the third worst in baseball. Their team batting average of .229 is fifth worst. Their defense has cost them games.

But there have been outliers. The two-grand slam game in April was a bright moment (that quickly gave way to a defeat in the second game of that doubleheader). The Orioles won a series in Miami.

This, though, is the highlight. Baltimore achieved two firsts in one game: The pitching staff secured its first shutout, and the Orioles won their first series against a team with an above-.500 record.

“It always feels good taking a series from a division opponent, especially the Yankees,” Bradish said. “But that was a good bounce-back.”

Bradish played a large role in it. He threw his curveball more than usual, continuing a trend he began in his last outing. He used that pitch to secure eight of his 14 whiffs and five of his seven strikeouts — including one in the fifth inning against Anthony Volpe to strand two baserunners.

The only hit he allowed came from Jazz Chisholm Jr. That one-out double in the fifth was the first and only real pressure against Bradish.

“He’s such a good pitcher,” catcher Adley Rutschman said. “The guy continues to work. Not the start [to the season] he wanted, but the guy just continues to get better and learn.”

He received ample run support, too, beginning with Coby Mayo’s RBI double in the second inning. Fried, who allowed a pair of runs in the third, was lifted after three innings because of posterior elbow soreness, and the Orioles took advantage of an early look at the bullpen.

Rutschman hit a two-run home run and Blaze Alexander drove a two-run single later. This was a lineup that operated more to expectations, and coupled with Bradish, it created the Orioles’ best win yet.

“For us as a squad, just to be able to battle and today just tack on runs and have Bradish go out there and shove, do his thing, just a really good team win today,” Rutschman said. “I think for us it’s just a day-by-day mentality, and so it feels good to win the series and on to the next.”

This article has been updated.