NEW YORK–What happened? It was another forgettable day for Kyle Bradish, who managed to pitch only four innings, the third straight start of just four.
Bradish, whose control has vanished in 2026, walked four more, one intentionally, and allowed two home runs for the sixth time in his career in a 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees before 46,049 at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Brandon Young and Cade Povich lasted just four innings in their starts, forcing manager Craig Albernaz to use the bullpen far more than he wanted to.
“He was falling behind,” Albernaz said of Bradish. “Looked like he had a tough time commanding the curveball and slider early, especially in the first inning. He was just chasing from behind, as far as count leverage, and when he made the pitches out over, they didn’t miss them.”
The Orioles (15-18) are winless in seven games against left-handed starters. Ryan Weathers (2-2) allowed one hit, Pete Alonso’s sixth home run, in five innings, and an unearned run in the sixth.
Alonso’s double play scored Tyler Ward, who singled. Samuel Basallo’s pinch-hit double scored Gunnar Henderson, who also singled.
Cody Bellinger homered twice for New York (22-11), once against Bradish (1-3) in the second, and off Keegan Akin in the sixth.
Bradish allowed five runs on six hits and struck out four.
“Stuff was good. Location was bad. Walks are bad. The homers, so overall, bad,” Bradish said. “Everything feels great between outings. The work’s good, so if I knew, I’d try to fix it. It’s one of those things right now.”
Adley Rutschman’s passed ball allowed José Caballero to score in the third. Bellinger’s double scored Trent Grisham, who hit a two-run home run in the fourth.
The Orioles closed to 6-4 in the seventh when Dylan Beavers walked, stole second and third and scored on Taylor Ward’s infield out.
Bellinger got his fourth RBI when his single bounced off second baseman Jeremiah Jackson’s glove, scoring Ben Rice. Jazz Chisholm hit a single that scored two runs, and the Orioles trailed, 9-4. Anthony Nunez failed to retire any of the four batters he faced.
Albernaz is puzzled about the Orioles’ record.
“Not concerned. It’s more, on my end, more frustrating just because that group is really talented,” he said. “And I feel like we should not be three games below .500. That’s on me. I’ve got to do a better job leading these guys and getting the most out of them, because the talent in that room, we should not be where we are right now, as far as the record.”
What’s wrong with the Orioles? The Orioles are three games under .500 for the first time since they were 3-6 on April 5th.
“I felt like we went out there and battled,” Henderson said. “I mean, they’re getting paid to do this just like we are. It’s not going to be easy going in every day, you’re not going to feel your best every single day. But it is what it is, and we’ll go out there and compete. We were within two runs late in the game, and they ended up breaking it open. But we were getting close there right there towards the end, so just keep getting shots on goal like that.”
What does it mean? Bradish’s ineffectiveness allowed the Orioles to fall behind early, and Anthony Nunez’s wildness in the seventh sealed another loss to the Yankees.
What’s the word? “I think, for all of our starters, it’s extremely important for them to go deeper into games. It takes the load off the bullpen and it takes the load off of everybody else. That’s something that they recognize and that they’re out there actively trying to get better at. We ideally want all our starters to go deeper into the game.”–Albernaz on the impact of short starts.
What’s the stat of the day? 5. The Orioles had just four hits, their fourth straight game with five or fewer hits against the Yankees, the second longest streak in team history.
“It’s been uncharacteristic of us,” Albernaz said. “I think these past three games or so, it hasn’t been us. And whether that be approach or that be us trying to really hone in on certain pitches, I think when all of our guys are at their best, they have a plan, they have an approach, but also, they’re aggressive with pitches in the strike zone.”
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Frederick Bencosme homered in Double-A Chesapeake’s 5-4 loss to Erie.
High-A Frederick was held to one hit in a 2-0 loss to Brooklyn.
What’s next? Trey Gibson will make his major league debut on Sunday against Max Fried (4-1, 2.09) at 1:35 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: [email protected]