Mountcastle’s 2 home runs bail out Bradish in Orioles’ 9-5 win over Rays

BALTIMORE—After starting pitcher Kyle Bradish followed his seven hitless innings last Sunday with the Orioles’ shortest start of the season, his team’s power bats bailed him out.

Ryan Mountcastle hit a pair of two-run home runs, and Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg also homered in the Orioles’ 9-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays before 36,958 at Camden Yards on Saturday.

In his previous start, Bradish threw seven hitless innings against the Chicago White Sox last Sunday. He followed that with his shortest start of the season, allowing five runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings

Bradish wasn’t part of the decision. He left the game trailing 5-4, but the Orioles scored five runs after he left.

He allowed three straight walks, one that drove in a run, and one of his six strikeouts in the third was a wild pitch to Jonathan Aranda, who scored.

The Orioles took a 3-0 lead in the first when Mountcastle hit his seventh home run and Santander followed with his 10^th. It was the 10^th time Santander homered onto Eutaw Street, one short of Chris Davis’ club record.

Bradish gave up three runs in the second on an RBI single by José Caballero and a two-run triple by Yandy Diaz.

He was knocked out in the third when Jose Siri’s RBI single scored Aranda, and he walked Diaz with the bases loaded.

Westburg, who missed two games after he was hit in the right hand with a pitch, hit his eighth home run in the second, and he tied the score at 5 with a run-scoring single in the third. Kyle Stowers’ RBI double and Jorge Mateo’s sacrifice fly put the Orioles ahead, 7-5.

Mountcastle added his eighth home run in the fourth against Taj Bradley (1-3). It was the ninth multi-home run game of his career.

Jacob Webb (1-3) saved the Orioles (37-18), who have won eight of nine games. Webb threw 2 1/3 hitless innings, walking one, his longest outing since September 26^th, 2020.

Dillon Tate, Cionel Pérez, Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin combined for four scoreless innings.