Cedric Mullins hit the game’s first pitch for a home run and Kyle Bradish allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings to boost the visiting Baltimore Orioles in a 3-0 victory against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday night.
Anthony Santander also homered in the first inning and Ryan Mountcastle homered in the fourth.
Bradish (3-5), a rookie in his 17th career start, strung together his second straight sterling outing by striking out five and walking three. The right-hander was coming off eight shutout innings last Friday at Houston.
Cionel Perez and Felix Bautista each worked an inning in the combined two-hitter.
Orioles pitchers have registered three shutouts in their last six games.
Mullins has 12 homers this season, while Santander belted his 24th and Mountcastle smashed his 19th.
Cleveland starter Shane Bieber gave up three homers in a game for the second time this season. It also happened July 24 at the Chicago White Sox. But since that game, he had surrendered just one home run across his next six starts covering 40 1/3 innings.
Bieber (8-8) worked seven innings and struck out 11, matching his season-high of 11 strikeouts in a June 3 win at Baltimore. He fanned Mullins, Santander and Mountcastle once apiece, but they did the more severe damage.
Half of the six hits Bieber allowed were homers and the other half were singles. He issued one walk. Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan Shaw each worked an inning of shutout relief for the Guardians.
Cleveland has failed to score in three of its last four games, including suffering back-to-back shutouts to close the series with the Orioles.
Baltimore wasted no time in scoring. Santander was the game’s third batter and, like Mullins, he hit Bieber’s first offering for a home run.
Mountcastle’s solo shot came with one out in the fourth inning. That was off Bieber’s second delivery of the at-bat.
Rougned Odor posted two of Baltimore’s seven hits.
–Field Level Media
