Kyle Bradish isn’t viewed as an American League Cy Young candidate, but he pitched like one Tuesday.
Gunnar Henderson, meanwhile, is the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner, and he hit like it Tuesday.
Bradish twirled eight shutout innings, Henderson hit a leadoff home run and the Orioles held on to beat the Washington Nationals, 1-0, and lower their magic number to win the AL East to two.
The shutout victory at Camden Yards over the local foe was the third in as many games this season, as the Orioles claimed the first two contests of the Beltway Series at Nationals Park in April with 1-0 and 4-0 wins. It’s the club’s 11th shutout this season and fourth 1-0 triumph.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the MLB record-holder for most games with the lone RBI in a 1-0 win is Brooks Robinson, the . He did so 10 times in his 23-year career.
“I think a lot of guys played tonight with a heavy heart,” said manager Brandon Hyde, who opened his postgame news conference offering condolences to the Robinson family. “It was emotional before the game to hear the news. The time he spent with us last year, especially coming into the clubhouse after he threw the first pitch, that was really motivational and inspirational for our players. , an icon in this city. There’s not many of those.”
Bradish (12-7) emerged this summer as the Orioles’ ace, and he maintained that reputation Tuesday, scattering just three hits and two walks to blank the Nationals for the . The scoreless start is his second straight after throwing six clean innings against the Houston Astros last week and eighth this season, tying him for second most in Orioles history with Jim Palmer (1976), Milt Pappas (1964) and Steve Barber (1961).
“That’s so impressive,” Hyde said of Bradish’s outing. “I mean, late September, pennant race and go eight shutout innings and not much hard contact the entire night. He’s just got really good stuff. … He’s just becoming a complete pitcher. The command has improved so much in the last year-and-a-half, and that’s why he’s turning out these lights-out performances.”
The 27-year-old has thrown six innings in each of his past eight starts for the longest streak by an Oriole since Dylan Bundy in 2018, a year before Baltimore traded him to the Los Angeles Angels for a package of prospects that included Bradish. His eight innings Tuesday were a season-high, as Hyde sent Bradish back out for the eighth, a rarity for his young rotation.
“I felt good,” Bradish said. “Skip asked me how I was feeling, said I felt great. So able to complete that eight was big. I know the bullpen’s beat up, so past few starts from our guys have been huge.”
Despite his ascendance, Bradish isn’t considered a candidate for the AL Cy Young Award, with New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole as a clear favorite and some sportsbooks not even listing Bradish as an option. His 2.86 ERA is the fourth-best among qualified MLB starters, behind only Cole, National League Cy Young front-runner Blake Snell and Minnesota Twins right-hander Sonny Gray.
It’s possible, should the Orioles clinch before the final game of the season, that Tuesday was the final start of Bradish’s season. After a slow start to the year, which included a brief injured list stint after taking a line drive off his leg in his first start, Bradish could end the regular season with 163 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP in 166 2/3 innings.
“He competes, it’s a real competitive mindset,” Hyde said. “He doesn’t think he should get hit, he’s angry at himself when he makes mistakes, and he’s hard to hit. When he has it going like he did tonight, like I said, he found the breaking balls a little bit more as the game went on, he can shut you out.”
The second-year starter relied on his defense Tuesday, with 15 of his 24 outs via ground balls and only four strikeouts. Baltimore played errorless defense, as every grounder was gobbled up by first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, second baseman Adam Frazier, third baseman Ramón Urías and Henderson at shortstop.
Bradish said his defense’s steady play was a fitting way to .
“It was definitely sad news,” he said. “He means so much to the city and this team. He’s been around us for the past few years, so getting that news right before the game was tough, but we were able to squeak out a victory.
“It’s only right that defense was working today.”
All the run support Bradish needed was provided by Henderson in the first inning. The 22-year-old rookie clobbered the seventh pitch of his opening at-bat against Nationals starter Josiah Gray 400 feet to right-center field to end the offense’s five-game homerless streak. The only other time in Orioles history they’ve won 1-0 with a leadoff home run was in August 2014, courtesy of Nick Markakis’ opening long ball. Tuesday’s win was just the 29th occurrence of the feat in MLB since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“It shows baseball is just a crazy game,” Henderson said. “You start off with that, and you don’t put up any more runs. It’s a weird game, but glad we got the job done.”
The deep shot was Henderson’s 28th this season, tied with Cal Ripken Jr. in 1982 for the second most by an Orioles rookie, behind only Ryan Mountcastle’s 33 in 2021. Henderson has 65 extra-base hits this year — 28 doubles, nine triples and 28 homers — for a total that is also tied with Ripken for most by an Orioles rookie.
Henderson entered the season as the AL Rookie of the Year favorite, and after overcoming a slow start, the 2019 second-round pick re-established himself for the award this summer. He’s now a shoo-in to become the first Oriole to win it since pitcher Gregg Olson in 1989.
Henderson almost added another highlight to his already lengthy reel by attempting a steal of home in the eighth inning, but Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz’s tag beat the speedster’s hand touching the plate. Yennier Cano then slammed the door for his eighth save with a three-up, three-down ninth.
The win is Baltimore’s 98th of the season, tied with the 1997 AL East-winning club and 1983 World Series champions for most by an Orioles team since 1981. It also guaranteed the club a 90th straight series without being swept. The streak, dating to May 2022, is the longest since World War II and an AL record.
Baltimore (98-59) can clinch its first AL East title since 2014 on Wednesday with a win over the Nationals and a Tampa Bay Rays loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Nationals at Orioles
Wednesday, 6:35 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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