Orioles’ Kyle Bradish throws 7 no-hit innings but bullpen can’t complete feat in 4-1 win over White Sox
CHICAGO — Kyle Bradish was six outs away from history Sunday, but a high pitch count spoiled his chance to throw his first career no-hitter in a 4-1 win that completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. Setup man Danny Coulombe entered the game in the eighth and lost the combined no-hit bid by allowing a leadoff home run.
Bradish, making just his fifth start of the season after suffering a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow this offseason, tied his career high of 11 strikeouts with four walks on 103 pitches. The right-hander threw the most pitches of any Orioles starter this season; he had yet to make it deeper than five innings into a game this year with his most recent start Tuesday cut short because of rain.
“No choice there, unfortunately,” manager Brandon Hyde said of pulling Bradish after seven innings. “Just with 103 pitches, he hasn’t gotten that far and coming off of an elbow strain earlier and the whole thing, but yeah, it’s difficult because you want to see him stay out there and he’s throwing the ball so great.”
The game, which was delayed more than 90 minutes because of heavy rain, was a pitching duel from the start with White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet carrying his own no-hit bid into the fourth. He would finish with two runs allowed over six innings with 11 strikeouts of his own, but it still wasn’t enough to outduel Bradish. Coulombe got the call to take over in the eighth and he fell behind pinch hitter Danny Mendick 3-1 before leaving a cutter over the middle of the plate.
“I feel sick because Bradish threw the heck out of the ball,” Coulombe said. “He deserved that today. I just didn’t execute a 3-1 pitch.”
It would’ve been the Orioles’ seventh no-hitter since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954 and first since John Means held the Seattle Mariners hitless on May 5, 2021. The team has twice thrown combined no-hitters: July 13, 1991, against the Oakland Athletics and April 30, 1967, against the Detroit Tigers. The no-hitter also would’ve been the third for catcher James McCann, who was behind the plate Sunday and caught Lucas Giolito’s historic performance at the same ballpark in 2020.
“It means a lot just getting back to kind of where I need to be and where I was last year,” Bradish said. “That’s just kind of a testament to the hard work that I put into the rehab and just where I’ve been at gradually getting better each start.”
Adley Rutschman hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning and Colton Cowser launched a solo shot in the eighth, supplying all the offense the Orioles’ pitching staff would need. McCann chipped in an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to push Baltimore’s run total for the four-game series in Chicago to 24. Though they struggled against several White Sox starters in the series, the Orioles’ offensive output was a welcome sight after scoring only eight runs over three games in their previous series in St. Louis, which the Cardinals swept.
After Coulombe faced the minimum three batters in the eighth and recorded two outs, Yennier Cano came in and got designated hitter Tommy Pham to fly out to end the frame. Craig Kimbrel retired the side in order in the ninth to lock down his third consecutive save since he reclaimed the closer role earlier this week. The save was Kimbrel’s 12th of the season and 429th of his career, moving him into a tie with Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen for the fifth most in MLB history.
The Orioles (33-18) completed the series sweep, their fourth of the year, to move to 15 games over .500. It marked the first time they swept a four-game series on the road since taking four in a row against the Minnesota Twins in August 2011. Coming off a 4-3 road trip, the Orioles will return to Baltimore for a six-game homestand that begins with three against the American League East division rival Boston Red Sox. Cole Irvin is scheduled to start Monday with Cooper Criswell pitching for the Red Sox.
Red Sox at Orioles
Monday, 1:05 p.m.
TV: MASN
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