Rookie Kyle Bradish produced his first scoreless start while Ramon Urias provided support with a two-run home run as the visiting Baltimore Orioles topped the Houston Astros 2-0 on Friday.
Bradish (2-5) snapped a 12-start winless streak by handcuffing the Astros over eight scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, both singles, and walked a pair of batters. He retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced.
Bradish recorded his first win since limiting the St. Louis Cardinals to two runs on four hits with a career-high 11 strikeouts over seven innings on May 10, helping snap the Astros’ seven-game home winning streak in the process. Houston last suffered a home shutout loss on June 18.
Urias snapped a scoreless tie with his two-out blast in the sixth inning, drilling his 14th home run to left field off Astros right-hander Cristian Javier (7-9), who was making his first relief appearance since May 8, a span of 17 consecutive starts. Javier retired the first two batters of the sixth before surrendering a single to Kyle Stowers. Urias followed with his 389-foot shot.
Orioles left-hander Cionel Perez surrendered a pair of singles in the ninth but right-hander Dillon Tate retired Trey Mancini to notch his third save.
Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. proved resourceful in his third start of the season despite control issues. He retired the side in order only once, doing so in the fifth inning, his final frame.
The Orioles had the leadoff batter reach safely in each of the first three innings, with all three baserunners advancing into scoring position. McCullers struck out Ryan Mountcastle to strand Cedric Mullins at second in the first and worked around Austin Hays and Stowers reaching in succession to open the second by inducing two timely groundouts, the latter from Jorge Mateo.
After walking the first two batters he faced in the third, Mullins and Adley Rutschman, McCullers got Anthony Santander to slap a ground ball that second baseman Jose Altuve turned into a dazzling double play. And when Rougned Odor followed a two-out single by Urias with a double to left in the fourth, McCullers induced another inning-ending grounder from Mateo to elude further damage.
McCullers allowed four hits and three walks yet worked five scoreless innings. He struck out two.
–Field Level Media