O's game blog: Kyle Bradish on the mound in Game 2 versus Colorado

After their latest win and latest victory in a close game Friday night, the Orioles can win another series with a victory tonight at home against Colorado.

Baltimore (80-48) begins play tonight leading Tampa Bay by three games atop the American League East. The Orioles have won six of seven, 17 of 24 and 31 of their last 44 games.

Their 5-4 Friday win over the Rockies improved the Orioles' record to 23-11 in one-run games, and they have now gone 81 straight series without being swept.

The O's have scored 48 runs the last seven games and hit 12 homers their past six games.

Right-hander Kyle Bradish (8-6, 3.03 ERA) will make his 24^th start tonight for the Orioles, who are 15-8 in his games this year, winning his last four starts.

Bradish has been on an extended roll on the mound, one that has lowered his ERA and increased his spot in some impressive AL stat rankings. If he had just 1 1/3 more innings pitched, he would officially qualify for AL league leaders, ranking second in ERA, fourth in opponent batting average and seventh in WHIP.

In a 12-1 win over Oakland last Sunday, Bradish allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings. And he has allowed just two runs in 16 2/3 innings his past three starts.

But over a 12-start stretch dating back to June 14, he is 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. In that span, he has nine quality starts and the Orioles are 8-4. Over 74 2/3 innings, Bradish has allowed a .189 batting average against and .558 OPS. He has a 2.3 walk rate and 8.6 strikeout rate, averaging just 15.0 pitches per inning in this stretch.

He has now made 23 starts – the same total he recorded all of last season. Here is how some of his numbers has improved: 

* ERA – Down from 4.90 to 3.03.

* WHIP – Down from 1.402 to 1.104.

* Walk rate – Down from 3.5 to 2.5.

* HR rate – Down from 1.3 to 0.8.

For the year he has allowed two earned runs or less 15 times, and has thrown six innings or more without allowing a run four times in the 2023 season.

Right-hander Chris Flexen (1-5, 7.18 ERA) gets the ball for Colorado and is set to make his sixth start for his new team. The New York Mets' 14^th round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Flexen was traded July 3 from Seattle to the Mets for former O’s draft pick Zach Muckenhirn. But three days later the Mets released him, and he was added by Colorado via waivers on July 14.

He pitched to an ERA of 7.78 in his first four starts for the Rockies, allowing a 1.064 OPS before pitching a strong game his last time out against the Chicago White Sox. He gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits over six innings in a no-decision Sunday.

In two career starts against the Orioles, Flexen is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA.