Bradish and Hays bruised early and Orioles rally late in 8-6 loss (updated)

Kyle Bradish issued a walk and took a brief stroll. Off the mound and toward first base, his eyes locked for a moment on plate umpire Adrian Johnson. His frustration at a non-strike call leading him to take a break before the pitch clock started again.

No distance covered was going to fix Bradish’s night. He couldn’t get far enough away from it.

Bradish lasted only 2 1/3 innings and was charged with seven runs, including Jarren Duran’s first career grand slam, in the Orioles’ 8-6 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 14,343 at Camden Yards.

Triston Casas was awarded the win in an 11-pitch at-bat with one out in the second inning, with Johnson ruling that Bradish’s slider missed wide. Casas began a string of five consecutive batters reaching base, three of them scoring.

Bradish threw 40 pitches in the inning and 81 before manager Brandon Hyde brought in Mike Baumann. The bullpen held Boston to one run and three hits in 6 2/3, and the Orioles scored five times off Kaleb Ort in the ninth, including Gunnar Henderson's first home run since April 3 and Cedric Mullins' second career grand slam.

The rally was furious, but the winning streak ended at seven games, with the Orioles losing for only the third time in 14. They’re 15-8 and can claim the series Wednesday afternoon before flying to Detroit.

They might be attempting it without Austin Hays, who came out of the game in the top of the fourth inning after flying out to deep right field leading off the bottom of the third. Terrin Vavra replaced him in left field and singled twice.

Hays bruised his right hand while attempting a bunt in the third, struck on the fingers by Corey Kluber’s 88 mph sinker. X-rays were negative for a fracture, but he’ll undergo further evaluation.

Much has changed for Hays in 24 hours. He had a go-ahead single in the fifth inning last night and threw out a runner at third base in the sixth.

Hays is batting .301, with six doubles, a triple, four home runs, nine RBIs and an .883 OPS in 23 games, and manager Brandon Hyde is most comfortable having him play left field at Camden Yards.

"We caught a break there with the X-rays being negative, so that's great news," Hyde said. "It's day-to-day. It's obviously really sore. I think we got lucky."

Duran drove a slider 409 feet to center field in the third inning, the exit velocity 107.8 mph, after Masataka Yoshida, Kiké Hernández and Casas singled to load the bases. A one-out walk to Reese McGuire, the fourth issued by Bradish, forced the pitching change.

"I think the second inning, had some tough luck, not really any ball hit hard," Bradish said, "and then they came out swinging again the third inning and threw a not really competitive fastball to Duran and he handled it."

Bradish was making his second start after returning from the injured list. He tossed six shutout innings in D.C. but tied his career high tonight with seven runs allowed. The same total as his Sept. 27, 2022 start in Boston.

"Just early command wasn't quite there, but they did a great job of spoiling a bunch of pitches and putting some balls in play that were off the plate," Hyde said. "I thought the stuff was there, I just didn't think the command was his best tonight. A couple really long innings, a 40-pitch inning, and had a tough time coming back from that."

Yoshida grounded into a double play to end the first inning after back-to-back walks to Rafael Devers and Justin Turner. Duran doubled in the second after Casas’ disputed walk, and Christian Arroyo and McGuire followed with run-scoring singles.

Devers had a sacrifice fly after Alex Verdugo singled, and it grew worse in the third.

No accusations of tipped pitches tonight, but the Orioles were knocked down hard.

"My fastball command, it just wasn't there, and I just wasn't making quality pitches putting guys away," Bradish said.

"My pregame bullpen, my fastball was very good, but when I got out there, just kind of lost it. Needed to find another pitch to throw for strikes and didn't really do that. That's something to work on in between starts."

Bradish is 0-4 against the Red Sox and has allowed 26 earned runs and 27 total in 25 innings.

"I just think my bad outings have just come against them," he said. "I don't think it's any one thing about them. It's just how it's been working out."

Baumann retained the look of a bullpen keeper with 2 2/3 scoreless innings and only one hit allowed. He retired seven of eight batters, with two strikeouts, and has surrendered only one run in 14 innings this season.

Austin Voth retired the first seven batters before allowing a run in the eighth inning. Cionel Pérez walked a batter in a scoreless ninth.

Kluber lost his first four starts with the Red Sox but earned the win tonight by holding the Orioles to one run in six innings. Jorge Mateo homered into the Orioles’ bullpen with two outs in the fifth inning.

Adley Rutschman and Henderson singled in the fourth and were stranded. Ryan Mountcastle singled twice.

The Orioles faced Kluber on Opening Day and scored five runs with six hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings.

"He's always had good stuff, good movement on his pitches, especially when all of them are working," Mullins said. "Just an all-around quality pitcher."

Henderson led off the ninth inning with his second home run of the season, also depositing a ball into the bullpen against Ort. The Orioles loaded the bases with one out, aided by second baseman Enmanuel Valdez's drop after Ort fielded Mateo's bouncer and tried for the force. Mullins reached the flag court and the lead was down to two. 

Kenley Jansen restored order and the Red Sox moved above .500 again.

"We did a great job coming back," Hyde said. "How about Baumann, Voth and Cionel? That's a highlight for me tonight. ... We hung around sort of, and then we had a five-run ninth inning with a nice little rally there."

Tonight marked the first time in major league history that both center fielders hit grand slams in the same game, per STATS.

"That was huge for us to just kind of show where we are as an offense, just be able to continue to chip away in a game that seemed lost, and the next thing we know we're back in the fight and a couple hits away from tying and possibly taking the lead," Mullins said.

"I think having that (winning streak) creates confidence amongst the clubhouse, and continue to move forward even after this loss."

* Hyde declined to go into any more details about his objections over comments made by Red Sox manager Alex Cora regarding the possibility that Chris Sale was tipping his pitches last night, explaining how the Orioles didn't strike out against him. A Boston writer asked about it again after tonight's game.

"We've already talked about that, I think, at this point," Hyde said.

Asked if the matter is settled, Hyde said, "Yeah. We talked about it and good to go."

* Down on the farm, reliever Dillon Tate began his injury rehab assignment with High-A Aberdeen and allowed one run on two doubles in the fifth inning. He struck out two batters.

Tate threw 13 of 18 pitches for strikes.

Shortstop Jackson Holliday went 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout in his first game with Aberdeen.

Triple-A Norfolk third baseman Jordan Westburg hit a grand slam in Charlotte and Colton Cowser had a two-run shot. Westburg also singled twice and stole two bases.

Ryan Watson allowed one earned run and two total in four innings, with three hits and three walks.