PHOENIX—After Friday night’s game, despite a standout defensive performance by Gunnar Henderson, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde made no secret about his disappointment with his team’s offensive approach.
Hyde’s team had a much better offensive game on Saturday and defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-3, before an announced crowd of 34,118 at Chase Field.
The Orioles (84-51) stretched their lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East to 2 ½ games because Tampa Bay lost to Cleveland, 7-6, in 11 innings.
With the win, the Orioles ensured they would not be swept for the 83rd consecutive series, tying the 1922-1923 New York Yankees for fourth place on the all-time list.
Trailing 2-0, the Orioles scored six runs on seven consecutive hits in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead.
Cedric Mullins hit a three-run home run, his 13th, Adam Frazier and James McCann had back-to-back doubles, and Adley Rutschman singled against Diamondbacks starter Slade Cecconi (0-1).
“Really focusing on driving the ball hard and staying in the zone,” Mullins said. “I wasn’t the rally killer today. I kept everything moving.”
McCann said the Orioles’ aim is always the same.
“You try to string a few good at-bats together, and it ended up being seven in a row,” he said. “Stringing hits together in this league is extremely difficult. Putting seven in a row, that was a lot of fun to see.”
Rutschman hit his 17th home run leading off the seventh for a 7-2 lead.
“We can score in bunches and do it quickly,” Hyde said.
Oriole starter Kyle Bradish, who grew up in nearby Peoria, Arizona and had about 70 family and friends on hand, allowed two runs in the third. He walked Geraldo Perdomo. Corbin Carroll singled off Bradish’s glove, and it was first and third. Ketel Marte doubled to score Perdomo and with the bases loaded, Alek Thomas’ force play scored Carroll.
Bradish (10-6) won his third straight, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out six.
“It was a dream come true to pitch here,” Bradish said. “Got a little rocky there in the third, but I was able to pitch through, and I ended up with a quality start…That was probably the most nervous I’ve been, even more so than my debut, knowing that I was going to have that many people out there and you want to go out and have a good game.”
Bradish came to Diamondbacks games as a child but hadn’t pitched there in a high school or college game.
“There’s not really words to describe the feeling pitching out there,” Bradish said. “First time being in the locker room, dugout, on the field. In-game, I was focused. I didn’t really see anybody until I was taken out. Then I was looking behind the dugout, seeing if I could see people. It was nice seeing their facing out there … Chills, a lot of emotions.”
In his last three starts, Bradish has allowed four runs on 12 hits in 18 innings. His 3.03 earned-run average remains unchanged for the second straight start.
“I was impressed when things didn’t go his way, he didn’t let things snowball and stayed in control of his emotions,” McCann said. “The big thing for him is he understands who he is. He understands how he has success and he sticks to that plan.
“You notice the guys that have been doing it in the league for a long time and have had a lot of success, they know who they are as pitchers, and they don’t deviate from that. They know who’s in the box, they know what their strengths are. They know how they’re going to attack guys and of course, certain hitters are going to alter those plans, but at the end of the day, they know who they are.”
In his final three innings, Bradish allowed one hit and a walk against Arizona (70-66).
DL Hall pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings, striking out three. Jacob Webb retired the final two batters of the eighth.
Gabriel Moreno homered against Joey Krehbiel in the ninth.
Notes: Anthony Santander was hit on the back of his right hand by a pitch in the ninth inning. He went for X-rays, and Hyde thought he’d be fine. … Arizona first baseman Christian Walker, who was hit by a pitch in the third inning, left the game with right hand discomfort. … Jack Flaherty (8-8, 4.73) will face Zac Gallen (14-6, 3.32) on Sunday at 4:10 p.m.
Minor league update: Chayce McDermott allowed one run on two hits in seven innings as Triple-A Norfolk defeated Worcester, 6-4, in 10 innings. First baseman Lewin Díaz drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run, with a 10th inning double. Díaz, second baseman Connor Norby and third baseman Coby Mayo homered.
Designated hitter Jud Fabian hit a three-run home run in the first inning as Double-A Bowie scored four runs in the first in its 4-2 win over Akron.
First baseman Samuel Basallo homered twice and drove in four runs in High-A Aberdeen’s 10-8 win in 10 innings over Jersey Shore. Second baseman Frederick Bencosme drove in three runs.
Columbia beat Single-A Delmarva, 11-4, in the first game of a doubleheader. In the second game, Randy Beriguete allowed a grand slam to Brett Squires in the bottom of the ninth in the Shorebirds’ 11-7 loss. Rightfielder Stevin Acevedo hit a two-run home run, his 13th.