Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Royals yesterday. Jac Caglianone spoiled the bid with a single to lead off the seventh inning, though Bradish earned the win for his strong performance, allowing one earned run on two hits in 6 2/3 innings. The 6-1 win brought the Orioles to 45-51 with one game left before the All-Star break. Baltimore remains in last place in the AL East, but they’re just two games out of a Wild Card spot and within one and a half games of the third-place Red Sox.
1. Gilbert reaches 1,000 strikeouts
Mariners righty Logan Gilbert recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in yesterday’s loss to the Rays. He achieved the feat by getting Jonny DeLuca to tip a slider into Cal Raleigh‘s glove to start the second inning. Gilbert joined exclusive company as the fifth starter to record 1,000 strikeouts with the Mariners, as well as the second right-hander after Félix Hernández. By accomplishing the feat in 944 innings, Gilbert was also the fastest of the five to reach 1,000 K’s, with Randy Johnson getting there in 957 1/3 innings (h/t to MLB.com’s Brian Murphy for the stats).
2. Wood ties Nationals’ lead-off homer record
James Wood opened yesterday’s game against the Yankees with a home run on Cam Schlittler‘s first pitch. Wood, whose 27 homers are tied for fifth in the Majors, also tied Alfonso Soriano for the Nationals’ single-season record of nine lead-off home runs. There’s plenty of time for Wood to break Soriano’s record with the Nationals having 65 games after the All-Star break. The team’s 108 wRC+ makes them the fourth-best offense in the league, and Wood has been far and away their best hitter as they look towards earning a Wild Card spot.
3. Valdez homers three times in doubleheader
The Pirates’ Esmerlyn Valdez played a key role in the team’s doubleheader sweep of the division-leading Brewers yesterday. Valdez homered three times throughout the day, the first being a solo shot in the third inning of game one. He topped that with a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Pirates a 7-6 lead that ended up being the final score in that game. Valdez then hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning of game two. He finished the day with eight runs batted in.
Photo courtesy of Pablo Robles, Imagn Images
