Orioles' bats waste Kyle Bradish's gem in 3-2 loss to Reds

Jacob Calvin Meyer, The Baltimore Sun on Jul 5, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CINCINNATI — Kyle Bradish carried a perfect game bid into the fifth inning, pitched into the eighth and threw the most pitches in a game since before he had Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

His offense wasn’t as gutsy.

With the chance to sweep the Cincinnati Reds and win a fourth straight game for the first time this season, the Baltimore Orioles’ bats couldn’t get the big hit in a 3-2 loss. After scoring eight runs in Saturday’s win for the club’s best offensive performance in two weeks, the lineup fell back to Earth on Sunday, scoring only one run against a starting pitcher who entered the game with an ERA over 5.00 and coming up just short in the ninth inning.

Bradish was perfect through four innings, but he walked the leadoff batter of the fifth and then allowed a two-run homer to Spencer Steer to put the Reds up 2-0. The right-hander immediately went back to his dominant ways to finish the seventh. Manager Craig Albernaz then left him out for the eighth as Bradish tossed a season-high 106 pitches, the last of which was an RBI double from Sal Stewart with two outs.

Even with the three runs allowed, the outing was one of Bradish’s best of the season, as he was one out away from making it through eight innings. He lowered his ERA to 3.75. The problem for Bradish was that Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo was better — or at least the Orioles’ hitters made Lodolo look better. In total, the Orioles recorded seven hits and went 2 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base.

The offense showed life and rallied in the ninth against closer Emilio Pagán, loading the bases with one out thanks to a single from Blaze Alexander and walks from Dylan Beavers and Jackson Holliday. Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly put the Orioles down one run, but Adley Rutschman lined out to center field to end the game.

The difference was ultimately the run that Bradish gave up in the eighth after Albernaz left the right-hander in the game at over 100 pitches with two outs and Stewart up.

Saturday’s victory marked Baltimore’s seventh winning streak of at least three games this season. After Sunday’s loss, the Orioles have lost the next game all seven times.

Baltimore is 42-49 and four games back of a playoff spot with six games remaining before the All-Star break.

Albernaz switched up his lineup with a left-hander on the mound for the Reds. The first-year skipper sat left-handed hitters Samuel Basallo, Colton Cowser and Holliday against Lodolo, opting to play Leody Taveras, Tyler O’Neill and Jeremiah Jackson instead.

The Orioles have struggled against lefties this season — a theme for the club in recent years — with a .227 average and .669 OPS entering Sunday. After the loss to Lodolo, the Orioles are 10-16 against southpaws this season.

The righty-heavy lineup was able to reach base eight times against Lodolo in six innings, but the Orioles could only scratch across one run on an RBI single by Coby Mayo in the sixth. Mayo has been one of the few Orioles to handle lefties this season, hitting .288 with a 1.038 OPS against them after his single.

After Mayo’s single, O’Neill and Taveras both walked to load the bases with two outs, bringing up Jackson with the bases loaded and the Orioles down only one. Jackson’s heroics with the bases juiced have won Baltimore two games this season, thanks to his grand slams, but he couldn’t make it a third, striking out to end a prime scoring chance.

The offense couldn’t get anything going in the eighth and ninth innings against Reds relievers Brock Burke and Tejay Antone, but they nearly completed a comeback off Pagán in the ninth.

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