It is official: Kyle Bradish is the Orioles Game 1 starting pitcher for their Division Series against the Texas Rangers. Manager Brandon Hyde made the announcement in his media availability before Friday’s final pre-series workout for the team. In addition, Hyde revealed that Grayson Rodriguez is going to be the Game 2 pitcher for the O’s.
Bradish was the easy choice for Game 1. He was the best Orioles starting pitcher over the course of the full season. Finishing a 30-start campaign with a 2.83 ERA and 1.043 WHIP is impressive. It’s so impressive that Bradish did something that has not been accomplished by an Orioles starter since Mike Mussina did it in 1992 - that is, finish a full season with an ERA under 3.