Four days after signing a five-year, $90 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid pitcher in Baltimore Orioles history, Kyle Bradish walked out to the Fenway Park mound in the nightcap of a split doubleheader and did exactly what the Orioles just paid him to do.
Six innings. Four hits. One earned run. Four strikeouts. The Red Sox's 15-game winning streak — the longest in franchise history since the Ted Williams era — was over.
The Orioles won 5–1 to split the doubleheader and move to 50–53. Boston fell to 52–49.
"He's that stopper for us," manager Craig Albernaz said afterward. "It was a great outing for KB."
The First Inning Belonged to Baltimore
The Orioles scored four runs in the first inning and chased Boston starter Eduardo Rivera before he could record three outs. Rivera was making his first appearance against the Orioles, and it went about as badly as it could. Johnathan Rodriguez — recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday morning in the Samuel Basallo roster move — lined an RBI double to put Baltimore on the board immediately. Gunnar Henderson tripled and scored. Dylan Beavers added a two-run single to make it 4–0 before the Fenway crowd had settled in.
Rivera dropped to 0–1 on the season. The Orioles had done their homework.
Beavers finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. "These Red Sox, they've been on a tear," he said in a postgame on-field interview. "We would have rather won them all, but it's good that we came away with one."
On Bradish: "He was awesome. When he's on, it's tough for anybody."
Rodriguez — playing his first game since being recalled — also went 2-for-4, including that first-inning double that set the tone. It was the kind of immediate contribution the Orioles needed from a player being asked to step into a significant roster gap.
Bradish Handles the Moment
The context around Bradish's start wasn't small. He joins catcher Samuel Basallo and right-hander Shane Baz as Orioles players to sign an extension in the past year, and his $90 million deal — announced Saturday — is the third richest in franchise history behind Chris Davis and Pete Alonso. He was originally scheduled to start Sunday in Houston but was pushed back a few days when the extension was announced.
None of that showed Wednesday night. Bradish worked efficiently through Boston's lineup, allowing baserunners but keeping them from scoring. He finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting in 2023 and has a 2.95 ERA in his last 12 starts this season — that version of Bradish showed up. The Red Sox got their only run in the fourth on a solo home run, but Bradish was never in real trouble.
He knew the stakes, saying of the Red Sox winning streak, "I definitely went out there with that on my mind - trying to end it."
His curveball was particularly sharp Wednesday night — Boston hitters were consistently late on it or fouling it off, which allowed Bradish to work ahead in counts and limit the damage even when the Red Sox did make contact. He improved to 7–9 with a 3.49 ERA. There will be a press conference at Camden Yards on Friday, when the Orioles begin a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves, to formally celebrate the extension.
Henderson and a Needed Win
Gunnar Henderson had a triple, a walk, and scored twice. He's been one of the steadiest hitters in the lineup lately, and in the postgame he explained why.
"Started trying less, to be honest with you," Henderson said. "Swung about as easy as I could."
On ending the streak: "They had a good streak. Happy we were able to snap that and get back rolling." And on the fast start: "Got on them early, and didn't look back."
The Orioles had 11 hits, a balanced attack that didn't require any one player to carry the load.
"Proud of our guys, being ready to go from pitch one," Albernaz said.
On what the win meant in the standings: "We're trying to win every game we play. It's still July 22. There's still a lot of season — but being able to get a win against a really hot team and a division opponent that we're in a race with. It was definitely a huge win for us."
The Orioles needed it. They entered the day three games back of the final wild card spot, with the Red Sox among the teams they're chasing. Getting one here, and getting it the way they did — a dominant first inning, a healthy Bradish going deep into a game — was exactly the kind of result this stretch of the schedule demands.
"Every win's important," Bradish said, "but they're right in front of us in the standings, so being able to take one is really big for this team."
In Game 1 of the doubleheader, the Red Sox beat Baltimore 6–3 to tie their franchise record with their 15th consecutive win. The Orioles return to Camden Yards this weekend to face the Atlanta Braves.