Bradish’s strong start paces Orioles to 3-1 win over Angels; Henderson heats up; 5 hits for Holliday at Aberdeen

BALTIMORE—Very quietly, Kyle Bradish has become a most dependable starting pitcher for the Orioles. He delivered his second straight outstanding performance, allowing just one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Only a Mike Trout home run stood between an Orioles shutout as they beat the Los Angeles Angels for the second straight night, 3-1, before an announced crowd of 15,702 at Camden Yards on Wednesday night.

Bradish (2-1), who allowed an unearned run on three hits in six innings on Friday night against Pittsburgh, gave up the home run to Trout in the fourth. He could have completed the seventh if not for Brandon Drury’s bloop single with two outs in the seventh.

In his last two starts, Bradish, whose earned-run average has dropped to 3.90, walked one and struck out 11.

“Any time I can get into the seventh and have a quality start and help this team, it’s very nice,” Bradish said.

The Orioles (28-15) are 13 games over .500 for the second time this season.

After failing to score in the second when they had the bases loaded and none out, Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI single scored Cedric Mullins in the third. Mullins’ RBI single in the fourth, and Austin Hays’ fifth home run, an opposite field shot to right, in the fifth, all against Angels starter Griffin Canning (2-2), put them up, 3-1. They were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

“We squandered opportunities out there the first few innings, unfortunately,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “[Hays] giving us a little bit of breathing room was massive.”

Third baseman Gunnar Henderson tripled and singled. He has a modest five-game hitting streak, and his average continues to move up.

“I think he’s getting more comfortable as the at-bats pile up,” Hyde said. “It’s not uncommon for young players to go through some adversity, and I’m proud of the way he’s handled the first part of the season. It’s not easy up here. Nobody thought it was going to be.

“What he did last September was unbelievable, but teams make adjustments. He’s making adjustments right back. He’s putting in great work, and he’s playing really good baseball right now.”

Henderson, who’s yet to have a three-hit game this season, had his first two-hit game since April 25^th.

“I feel I’m a lot looser at the plate, and really been able to attack early,” Henderson said. “I’ve been feeling good about that.”

He’s hitting .195 but seems more comfortable playing third base while Ramón Urías continues to recover from his strained left hamstring muscle.

“Having a consistent schedule and being able to really take it in every day and play at third and hit relatively in the middle of the order, that’s been good, and I feel really comfortable with that,” Henderson said.

“He was throwing every pitch where he wanted to,” Henderson said about Bradish. “He’s been electric these past few outings. That’s expected from him. He does really well. I love playing behind him because he works quick and he goes and attacks hitters.”

Danny Coulombe, Yennier Cano and Félix Bautista held Los Angeles (22-22 hitless. Bautista walked Trout with one out in the ninth and struck out Shohei Ohtani for the second out before Hunter Renfroe flied to center to end the game. Bautista has 11 saves.

Cano has allowed four hits in 21 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 25 without walking a batter.

Note: Tyler Wells (3-1, 2.68) will face Tyler Anderson (1-0, 5.26) on Thursday afternoon at 12:35.

Minor league update: Shortstop Jackson Holliday had five hits, including two triples, and drove in five runs as High-A Aberdeen beat Winston-Salem, 13-3.

Chris Valimont (2-0) and three relievers combined on a five-hit shutout as Triple-A Norfolk beat Syracuse, 3-0. Valimont allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking one.

Third baseman Josh Lester had three hits, including his 11^th home run.

Former Oriole Dylan Bundy was ejected after three innings when umpires found a sticky substance in his cap.

Altoona beat Double-A Bowie 11-2. Cade Povich (3-3) allowed three runs on four hits in four innings.

Call for questions: I’ll be answering Orioles questions later this week. Please email yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com