BALTIMORE -- The storylines surrounding the Orioles’ early struggles have been consistent during the first month-and-a-half of the 2026 season.
They’re not playing clean enough baseball. Their starting pitching has been disappointing (particularly the performances of projected co-aces Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish). They’re not hitting left-handed starters. They’re not scoring enough early. Their injuries are again beginning to pile up.
That last one remains true -- the injured list has grown to 13 players with the addition of outfielder Dylan Beavers (right oblique strain), the 19th Oriole to spend time on the IL this year.
The others? Baltimore could be beginning to quell some of those concerns, particularly with its performance Wednesday afternoon.
The O’s played one of their best games thus far in the series finale vs. the Yankees at Camden Yards, cruising to a 7-0 win for their first shutout victory of the year. Bradish tossed six dominant innings to lead a one-hitter, and Adley Rutschman hit a two-run homer as Baltimore took two of three from American League East rival New York.
It can’t be overstated how much this type of performance was needed for Baltimore (20-24) -- as fans frustrated by the past seven weeks can attest. The O’s first meeting with the Yanks, truthfully, couldn’t have gone much worse. The Bombers (27-17) swept a four-game series in the Bronx from May 1-4, a set in which the Orioles didn’t lead even once and were outscored 39-10.
“Any time you win a series, you’ve got to really enjoy it,” said first baseman Pete Alonso, who had two hits. “It’s a quality team over there, and for us to lock this one down on the getaway day is really important for us moving forward.”
Wednesday marked the ninth time in Orioles history (since 1954) the team has held the Yanks to fewer than two hits, and the first occurrence since Daniel Cabrera’s complete-game gem in a 7-1 win on Sept. 28, 2006.
“It always feels good taking a series from a division opponent -- especially the Yankees,” Bradish said.
The O’s won in impressive fashion on Monday, spoiling left-hander Ryan Weathers’ no-hit bid in the seventh and then winning, 3-2, thanks to Coby Mayo’s go-ahead three run homer later that inning. After Tuesday’s 6-2 loss, Baltimore bounced back beautifully by beating lefty Max Fried, who yielded three runs in three innings before exiting due to left elbow posterior soreness.
That’s right -- two Orioles wins against two left-handed starters after they lost their first nine games in which their opponent began with a southpaw on the mound. Fried allowed an RBI double to Mayo in the second before Rutschman (sac fly) and Alonso (single) each drove in a run in the third. In the O’s six previous matchups vs. the Yankees, they scored only two total runs during the first three innings of those games.
“We're just trying to touch home plate more than the other team every single night. It doesn't matter how we do it. We have the ability to be a diverse offense, and we've shown that,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “It's kind of all of us putting it together when the situation calls for it, and that's what happened today.”
But Bradish’s performance might have been the best part about Wednesday’s well-rounded win. The 29-year-old right-hander looked more like the pitcher who placed fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2023, and when he was among the best pitchers in baseball (when healthy) in recent years -- not the one who had 5.03 ERA through seven outings before a 10-strikeout quality start (seven innings, three runs) vs. the A’s last Friday.
This time out, Bradish was even better. He didn’t allow a hit until Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s one-out double in the fifth, which ended up being New York’s only knock of the day. Bradish racked up seven strikeouts and benefited from his increased curveball usage for the second straight start.
Through Bradish’s first 74 MLB starts, he had never once generated more than seven whiffs with his curveball. He had nine last Friday and eight more on Wednesday.
“He’s such a good pitcher,” Rutschman said. “The guy just continues to get better and learn and the guy works, and it’s fun to watch, fun to catch, and he looked amazing today.”
“We all know what he’s capable of,” Alonso added. “His ceiling’s sky high. He’s got such good stuff, and when he has control and poise, he’s one of the best in the world.”
If Bradish builds on this -- and if the Orioles continue to show similar improvement in all facets of the game, as they have done in recent days -- there’s no reason there couldn’t be good times ahead in Baltimore this summer, especially with the AL seemingly wide open.
“I think it’s what we’re capable of. We’ve shown it. We’ve shown we could play a game like this,” Albernaz said. “So for our guys, it’s just anchoring to it, being consistent with it and being diligent with our work.”