The Baltimore Orioles dropped their second straight game on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. On Wednesday, they will look to avoid the three-game sweep. The Orioles bats were silenced by Rays starter Griffin Jax, who allowed just one run over five innings.

Orioles starter Kyle Bradish put together a solid outing of his own, completing 5 1/3 innings of work with six strikeouts and two earned runs. But it was not enough, as he did not get the run support he needed and he suffered the loss. After the game, Bradish spoke with reporters and commented on Tampa Bay‘s success this year.

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“They’re patient. They make you come in the zone. And unlike a lot of teams, they’re fine taking a single the other way. They’re not all trying to do damage. But when you leave a pitch in the middle of the plate … they’re on it,” Bradish said (h/t Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner).

Bradish is not wrong. With the win, the Rays improved to the league’s best record at 32-15. They continue to find ways to win with limited resources, and as Bradish mentioned, they have a pesky, disciplined approach at the plate. Unfortunately for the Orioles, the Rays are in their division, the American League East, which remains one of the toughest divisions in baseball.

The Orioles are now 21-28, and climbing out of their early-season hole will be difficult given the competition around them. Still, the one bright spot from Tuesday’s game is that Bradish is starting to look like his old self again, before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Bradish finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2023, and the Orioles have been waiting for him to get back to that level.

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He has had a rough start to the year, but he now owns a 4.13 ERA, and his strikeout numbers have been strong with 58 in 52 1/3 innings. He does unfortunately lead MLB in losses with six in his 10 starts, but that is not always on him. The Orioles offense has been inconsistent, and the team has struggled to string together complete games.

Baltimore will need Bradish to continue trending upward if they want to stay competitive. The division is unforgiving, and the Orioles cannot afford many more missed opportunities. They will look to salvage the series on Wednesday with Shane Baz on the mound facing off against his former team.