The Baltimore Orioles lost 5-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, and it was largely because of starting pitcher Kyle Bradish. The 29-year-old gave up four runs on six hits across just four innings, ballooning his season ERA to 6.23 after allowing two runs across 4.2 frames in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz spoke about Bradish after Friday's game, via MLB.com.

"I think the fastball command is not where he would like it and where we would like it," he said. "The curveball and slider were pretty good today, but it's just the fastball command that looks like it's just not as sharp as it usually is. That's something that I feel confident he'll get back to."

Bradish threw 51 strikes out of 81 pitches and logged six strikeouts against three walks. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder only threw one four-seam fastball in the second inning, when he gave up all four of his earned runs. He did so on the first pitch of the frame, which was high for ball one on right fielder Ryan O'Hearn. 

The fact that Bradish was shy with the fastball signals that he didn't trust himself to locate it, which is essential for a starting pitcher. Until the Arizona native finds his command with that pitch, he won't perform to his full potential.

Baltimore first called Bradish up in 2022, and he went 4-7 with a 4.90 ERA over 23 starts. He then went 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA over 30 starts in 2023, but he made just eight starts the following year due to Tommy John surgery. He didn't return until this past August and finished 2025 with six starts.

Bradish hasn't pitched a full season in two and a half years, so he might take some time to get back to his 2023 form. But if he doesn't command his fastball soon, he could be in trouble.

Although Baltimore is off to a 3-4 start, infielder Blaze Alexander has been a silver lining. The 26-year-old went 2-for-4 with two runs scored on Friday and has hits in all five games he's played.

Alexander is the first Orioles player to open the season with a hit streak of five-plus games since Cedric Mullins started 2021 with an 11-game streak, per MLB.com's Jake Rill. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder is also the first player to open his Baltimore tenure with a five-plus-game hit streak since outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. opened with an eight-game streak in 2019.

The Orioles acquired Alexander from the Arizona Diamondbacks in February. He first played in the big leagues in 2024 and had a .706 OPS over 74 games for Arizona last season.

Alexander is getting consistent playing time due to second baseman Jackson Holliday's (wrist) and third baseman Jordan Westburg's (elbow) injuries. Still, it will be hard for Albernaz to sit him in any case if he keeps this momentum up.

Up next for Baltimore is another road matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET.