ARLINGTON, Texas — The gas gauge on the Orioles’ bullpen was already closer to empty than full entering Monday’s game against the Texas Rangers.
When starting pitcher Kyle Bradish exited in the second inning after taking a line drive to his right foot, it appeared as if the fatigued Orioles bullpen, which combined for 13 2/3 innings of relief this past weekend, was in store for a long night.
But Tyler Wells, expected to start Tuesday’s game, came to the rescue — not just for the health of the bullpen, but also to lead the Orioles to victory.
Wells pitched five innings of scoreless, no-hit ball in unexpected relief to guide Baltimore to a 2-0 win over the Rangers. The 6-foot-8 right-hander was hyper-efficient — tossing just 47 pitches, walking none and striking out two in his five frames. He retired 15 of 16 batters he faced, with the only one to reach base coming on an error.
Left-hander Danny Coulombe originally replaced Bradish with two outs in the second after the right-handed starter suffered a right foot contusion on a 104 mph liner from Rangers catcher Jonah Heim. Coulombe, whom the Orioles acquired from the Minnesota Twins last week, got a strikeout to end the second then pitched a scoreless third. Closer Félix Bautista retired the side in order in the ninth for his second save of the season.
Bradish attempted to walk it off as manager Brandon Hyde and head athletic trainer Brian Ebel visited the mound, but he was quickly pulled after throwing one warmup pitch and limped off the field. The Orioles announced that Bradish’s preliminary X-ray was negative for a fracture.
The 26-year-old retired the side in order in the first inning, averaging 96 mph on his fastball and striking out two batters on his slider. He allowed an infield single — the lone hit the Orioles surrendered in the win — and a walk in the second before the comebacker, which resulted in an out after the ball ricocheted to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. Bradish ended his 2023 debut with no runs and one hit allowed in 1 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out two.
The Orioles recorded only four hits on offense, but two of them went over the fence. In the fourth inning, Gunnar Henderson launched a 408-foot blast to left-center field for his first home run of the season. Jorge Mateo then followed suit in the fifth with a 433-foot homer.
Bradish’s exit complicates an already-taxed Orioles bullpen, which combined for 13 2/3 innings of relief in the three-game series against the Boston Red Sox this past weekend.
Last season, Bradish missed a month with inflammation in his right shoulder. He had a 7.38 ERA at the time of the injury in late June, but in his 13 starts after returning, he posted a 3.28 ERA and was perhaps the club’s best starter down the stretch.
It’s unclear whether Bradish will need to miss time, but the Orioles have several options if he does.
Austin Voth, who spent spring training building up to be a starter, is in Baltimore’s bullpen and could be a spot starter if needed. The Orioles also have several starters in Triple-A with either major league experience or top prospect pedigrees. Spenser Watkins and Bruce Zimmermann combined to start 33 games for the Orioles in 2022. Left-hander DL Hall, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect, started one game and relieved 10 others in the majors last season, but he’s still building up to be a starter after a slow start to camp with a lower back injury. Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, the club’s top pitching prospect, is also in Triple-A after not making the Orioles’ starting rotation out of camp.
Rodriguez, Watkins and Zimmermann started for Norfolk this past weekend, while Hall and Drew Rom are expected to start Tuesday and Wednesday.
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