All season, Kyle Bradish proved he was the Orioles’ most consistent and valuable starter.
Now, he’ll take the ball in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday when the Orioles face the Texas Rangers in a 1 p.m. game at Camden Yards.
“Just the way he threw the ball this season and the improvements he made over the course of the year, and the improvements he made from last year, he’s just had so many good starts for us,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We love his stuff. I like his makeup. He’s pitched in some meaningful games down the stretch and pitched extremely well. And we have a lot of confidence with him going into Game 1.”
Hyde announced the decision Friday. He also said rookie Grayson Rodriguez would start Game 2, scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m.
Andrew Heaney will start Saturday for the Rangers. He has a 4.15 ERA in 32 games, 28 of which were starts. He pitched mainly out the bullpen in September, making only two starts, both of which were less than five innings.
Bradish found out this could be a possibility on the last day of the regular season. He got the directive on Thursday.
“It’s kind of just a dream to be able to start Game 1 in the playoffs, let alone to be in the playoffs,” Bradish said.
Bradish, in just his second major league season, pitched to a 2.83 ERA, third lowest in the American League and the best by an Orioles pitcher since Mike Mussina in 1992. Bradish’s 1.04 WHIP — which indicates that he allowed on average just over one baserunner an inning — also ranks in the top five in the league.
He also proved he can go deep into games, saving a bullpen that, especially late in the season, was fighting fatigue. Bradish averaged 5 2/3 innings an outing — including when he left the game early with an injury in April and his intentionally shortened last start of the season.
The ability to pitch into the late innings wasn’t always a given for him. But he had a turning point after a four-inning outing in San Francisco in early June, and he hasn’t pitched less than four since then in a regular start.
“Kind of there had a mindset shift,” he said. “Just knowing that I can’t keep doing that. It’s hurting the bullpen, hurting the team. Just going out there, working for a quality start every time, was kind of the mindset after that.”
His stuff isn’t overpowering, and his strikeout numbers are just average. Rather, he’s a ground ball pitcher who thrives on weak contact.
Bradish made two starts against the Rangers, but he left the first one in the second inning after a line drive hit him in the leg. In the other outing, he allowed one run and struck out four in 6 2/3 innings.
With Bradish set to take the ball in Game 1 and Rodriguez on Sunday, John Means will likely get the start in Texas on Tuesday for Game 3.
