Bradish barrels through Mariners lineup, Bemboom gets key hit, Bautista gets redemption (updated)

One day after Orioles reserve outfielder Ryan McKenna hit a walk-off home run in the 10^th inning, backup catcher Anthony Bemboom broke a tie in less dramatic fashion.

With less pop and some help from the Mariners’ defense, but only the result mattered.

Bemboom popped up a fastball down the right field line in the fifth inning that fell for a hit. Mariners second baseman José Caballero booted it further toward the corner, and Jorge Mateo came around to score from first.

Kyle Bradish retired 13 of his last 14 batters to complete seven innings, matching his season high, and the Orioles won 3-2 before an announced crowd of 19,143 at Camden Yards.

The Orioles are 47-29 after claiming their 16^th series. Closer Félix Bautista notched his 21^st save after surrendering a game-tying home run yesterday to Mike Ford with two outs in the ninth.

He struck out the first two batters, allowed a single to Ty France and fanned Teoscar Hernández on a 102.5 mph fastball with the tying run on second base. The first pitch in that at-bat was 103.4, the fastest by an Oriole in the Statcast era.

The Mountain got right back on the horse.

"I saw a lot of 102s up there," said manager Brandon Hyde. "I know he was irritated how yesterday went and he wanted to be back out there today."

The Orioles posted their 27th comeback victory and won back-to-back games against the Mariners for the first time since taking three straight Aug. 28-30, 2017.

Bemboom recorded his first major league hit since May 12, 2022 in St. Louis. He homered that day, which produced his last RBI.

"That's all I'm trying to do is just help the team any way I can offensively and put the ball in play, especially in a situation like that," he said. "Obviously trying to stay out of the double play, but try to get something in the air, preferably to the right side.

"Honestly, I didn't know if it was going to be fair or not. The way I hit it, it was pretty far in, so I thought it was going to hook foul, but it just kind of stayed true."

The Orioles designated Bemboom for assignment on May 21, 2022, making room for top prospect Adley Rutschman. He broke camp with the Orioles again this season but had only four plate appearances in three games before today, making his return from Triple-A Norfolk with James McCann on the injured list.

The official scorer changed the double today to a single, and the error put Bemboom’s next RBI on hold.

Hyde was more impressed by Bemboom's work while wearing the catching gear.

"For me, that's a Kyle Bradish, Anthony Bemboom two-hit seven innings," Hyde said. "Held onto that foul tip in the ninth inning. The way he controls a game is really impressive. He can throw, he receives extremely well. He caught the (April 3) shutout in Texas. That was his other start. He's caught two really, really tough wins and done an unbelievable job behind the plate in both of those."

Bradish held the Mariners to two runs and two hits, and today marked the eighth time that an Orioles starter worked seven innings. Bradish struck out seven batters and lowered his ERA to 3.75.

"Just mixing really well," Bemboom said. "Got ahead of guys and really put the pressure on them. A lot of defensive swings because he was ahead in counts. Mixed really well, threw a lot of different pitches for strikes, and just made pitches when he needed to."

"Really, the two-seam, started pounding that," Bradish said. "There were a lot of breaking balls early, kind of flipped it on them. Got the feeling they were sitting soft a little bit, so I just tried to go with my heaters."

Hyde stuck with Bradish after a two-out walk to Jarred Kelenic on the right-hander’s 100^th pitch. Bradish threw four more and retired Eugenio Suárez on a line drive to second baseman Adam Frazier.

The hook usually comes out in these situations, but pitching coach Chris Holt went to the mound and Danny Coulombe kept warming in the bullpen. Coulombe retired the side in order in the eighth.

"I think it showed some trust right there," Bradish said. "Thanks to him for letting me finish that seventh inning. Our bullpen was a little taxed still, and being able to finish that seventh, that means a lot."

"I still thought he had really good stuff," Hyde said. "The punchout before the 3-2 walk there, and kind of how it was setting up bullpen-wise a little bit. A line drive right at Frazier, which was fortunate. ... I just thought he did a great job."

Anthony Santander followed his four-hit game yesterday, which included his 13^th home run, with a leaping catch today to rob Julio Rodríguez of a home run in the first inning. Santander snatched the ball before it could land on the roof of the grounds crew shed, and Rodríguez threw back his head and laughed as he approached second base.

Some serious payback for Rodríguez’s catch yesterday that stole a home run from Ryan O’Hearn.

"I thought I got a chance," Santander said. "It was a high fly ball, so I was making sure to run all the way back to the fence and make good timing."

"It's huge," Bemboom said. "I think it's a lot of momentum going down into the dugout for the offensive side. That was an awesome play. Off the bat I thought it was a home run, but that was a really awesome play."

Bradish waited for Santander in front of the dugout after the last out, but teammates got to him first.

"That was almost the highlight of my game right there," Bradish said. "Just to have that in the first inning kind of fired me up."

Santander hit his 14th homer in the third inning off George Kirby, and it tied the game 2-2. He’s gone deep in three consecutive games and five of six.

This time, Santander and Mateo celebrated with an arms-raised, hip-swivel routine, and Ryan O’Hearn followed with a thunderous forearm smash. To each his own.

Santander moved up to second in the order for only the fourth time this season. He entered yesterday with a .241 average in the third slot and .288 everywhere else.

"He's got a ton of confidence right now," Hyde said, "like he should."

Is it more enjoyable to rob a home run or hit one?

"It depends, it depends," Santander said. "The first one is good because I'm able to give a zero to my pitcher so he can do his stuff. The homer is to tie the game or give the lead to the team is also fun. It all depends on the situation."

The first inning for Bradish also included two strikeouts on his slider, with leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford lasting nine pitches.

Bradish went back to the slider again with two outs in the second and Cal Raleigh deposited it onto Eutaw Street for a 2-0 lead. The ball traveled 422 feet with a 113.7 mph exit velocity to become the 121^st in the ballpark’s history to clear the flag court area.

Fans already were agitated that Bradish didn’t get the strikeout call against Suárez before he surrendered a double to left-center field. Raleigh followed with the Mariners’ seventh home run of the series.

Bradish induced a 5-4-3 double play after walking Crawford in the third and pounded his fist into his glove. The Mariners didn't put another runner on base until Kelenic in the seventh, and he was the last.

Mateo doubled on a two-strike pitch leading off the bottom of the third, only his second hit in his last 19 at-bats, and he swiped his 21^st base with one out before Santander homered. He walked in the fifth - the first base on balls issued by Kirby in his last five starts - and sprinted home on Bemboom’s single and the error.

"That's what Jorgie can do," Hyde said. "We've just got to get him on base, because you don't see many guys scoring from first on a sand wedge 270 feet down the line that doesn't get to the warning track. And he wasn't running on the pitch. To be able to score on that is game-changing.

"Good things happen when he makes contact and puts the ball in play."

The play happened one day after Mateo was doubled off first base on a popup behind home plate, making the final out in regulation.

The Orioles flushed that play, Friday's 12-run loss and everything else that didn't fit the playoff-chasing narrative.

"Whatever happened that first game, we just leave it in the past," Santander said. "We came out the next day with the right mentality, with good energy, and we were able to win those games."

* The Mets claimed former Orioles reliever Reed Garrett off waivers. Garrett was designated for assignment on June 18 to make room for catcher José Godoy on the 40-man roster.