Kyle Bradish Rewards Orioles Days After Extension

Baltimore needed someone to stop the bleeding at Fenway Park, and the pitcher the franchise just committed 90 million dollars to answered the call.

Kyle Bradish took the mound in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader, days after signing the largest deal ever given to an Orioles pitcher, and delivered six innings of one-run baseball in a 5-1 victory.

The win snapped Boston's 15-game winning streak, a run that had tied a franchise record standing for 80 years.

The Red Sox had taken the opener 6-3 to reach that mark, which only raised the stakes for the second game of the day.

"It was a long week, but it was amazing," Bradish said, per MLB.com. "I thought about this start, first one back, I just wanted to make it a good one."

Bradish scattered four hits, walked one and struck out four on 89 pitches, and he admitted the streak was on his mind.

"I definitely went out there with that on my mind, trying to end it," he said.

Manager Craig Albernaz loved what he saw, saying "we all know who K.B. is and what he's capable of" while praising an arsenal in which the "fastball shapes were great" and the breaking balls "were outstanding."

Gunnar Henderson went even further on his teammate.

"His stuff is electric, and ever since he's come back from injury, he's been lights out. It's been really fun to play behind him," the shortstop said.

The offense did its part early by hanging four runs on Boston starter Eduardo Rivera in the first inning, with Dylan Beavers lining a two-run single and Johnathan Rodríguez doubling off the Green Monster.

Bradish improved to 7-9 with a 3.49 ERA and 110 strikeouts on the season, numbers that keep climbing back toward his 2023 form after Tommy John surgery cost him most of two years.

Baltimore signed Bradish to a five-year, 90 million dollar extension last Saturday, a deal running through 2031.

"I'm really happy. From the top down, everybody's committed to the same goal," Bradish said of the commitment.

With Chris Bassitt on the shelf with lower-back trouble, his presence atop the rotation means everything to a club still fighting for relevance.

The Orioles sit fourth in the AL East at 50-53 and trail Boston by three games in the wild-card race, with the trade deadline looming in early August.

"At this point, every win's important. But they're right in front of us in the standings. So being able to take one is really big for this team," Bradish said.

Albernaz has answered questions about his in-game decisions all month while Pete Alonso keeps settling in during his first Baltimore campaign.

Baltimore is off Thursday before opening a home series against Atlanta on Friday night.