What I saw from the talented Orioles starter in his outing with the Bowie Baysox
*Cover Photo Credit: Grant DeVivo
As I scrolled through my Instagram feed on Monday afternoon, I came across an announcement from the Bowie Baysox that Kyle Bradish got the nod to start the April 16 series opener at Prince George's Stadium.
I immediately made plans to get schoolwork done accordingly and spend my Tuesday evening with the Baysox.
This, of course, is all a part of Bradish's Minor League rehab assignment. He is making his way back from an ulnar cullateral ligament (UCL) sprain that he suffered this offseason. He did not pitch in any Spring Training games for the Orioles, and he has been focusing primarily on throwing programs and bullpen sessions to start the season.
Last night was his first look at game action, which he was very excited for prior to his start for Bowie. He got the start for Bowie against the Altoona Curve.
I arrived early, as I usually do, to get a good first look at Bradish, the third place American League ERA leader in 2023 (2.84 ERA). Let me just say that it was just great to see him back on a baseball field and in a baseball uniform to begin with. Seeing that alone shows that he is headed in the right direction, and that he has worked hard to return to the field.
The Orioles' media crew had their cameras on Bradish as he threw with the Baysox coaching staff in the outfield and as he threw his pregame bullpen session to his battery mate for the evening in the form of Silas Ardoin. Bradish worked all of his pitches in, from his fastball to his slider to his changeup. Though he seemed to hover the zone very well, he seemed visablly frustrated as he [must have been] missed the exact spots he wanted to hit.
Stay calm, Kyle, I thought to myself as if I were to talk one-on-one with him. It's only your first game back, so don't beat yourself up.
The clock struck 6 pm, and the Baysox took the field in their slick black, orange, and acqua blue alternate uniforms. The National Anthem was performed, and then Bradish was announced to the Baysox faithful. The small Tuesday night gathering of 1,273 greeted 27-year-old Arizonian with a nice round of applause.
Bradish went right to work, coming quickly after Altoona's first three hitters in Matt Frazier, Jackson Glenn, and Aaron Shackelford. He only needed 12 pitches to retire Frazier and Glenn on groundouts, and Shackelford on a swinging strikeout. He had another quick inning in the top of the 2nd, as he needed just 15 pitches to work 3 outs and just one lone hit.
Bradish appeared to start battling some fatigue in his third inning of work as his pitch count rose and Altoona began making him work extra hard for his outs. In the oddly quiet weeknight atmosphere of Prince George's Stadium, you could hear him slip out an f-bomb on several occasions when he did not execute a pitch.
Hang in there, I thought, again as if I were talking to him one-on-one. You're almost through it. It's the bottom of the order, so just show them your best here. They're not timing either your fastball or slider well, so keep mixing it up.
That he did, and though it took him 17 pitches, he retired the Curve 1-2-3 to finish his first rehab outing. His final out came on a swinging strikeout of Frazier. He was pulled after his third inning of work for reliever Brandon Young.
Before the top of the 4th inning, us fans gave him one last round of applause before he left the field for an interview with MASN and then for home.
Overall, Bradish looked very sharp even amidst a fairly-high pitch count of 44, which is probably more than he wanted for just 3 innings of work. That's not a major concern right now, though, as he still looked solid and efficient. He went those three scoreless innings while allowing just one lone hit and striking out four batters. His slider had late, deceptive break, and his fastball topped out at 95 MPH.
It was great to see Bradish back on a mound again and given how he looked last night, I am eager for his return to the Baltimore Orioles. However, I still don't think it will be a quick return. UCL injuries have to be treated gently, and I expect the Orioles to take all the precautionary and prolonged steps necessary in order to get Bradish 100% healthy without any further delays, damage, or tears that could result in surgery.
Nonetheless, seeing Bradish deal last night was an encouraging sight, and I cannot wait until he returns to Baltimore. For now, I get to soak in the excitement of having seen a big leaguer appear on a rehab assignment in my local Minor League ballpark.
Great writing.