Kyle Bradish (5-8, 3.77) got the ball for Baltimore in a getaway-day matinee set for 1:05 PM ET, working opposite Nick Lodolo (2-2, 4.61), who was coming off a wrist contusion that knocked him out of a start last month. Bradish is fully built up now after Tommy John surgery cost him most of the last two seasons, and the Orioles needed length from him after leaning hard on their bullpen the previous two nights.
The bullpen picture is the real story in Baltimore right now. Closer Ryan Helsley landed back on the IL with elbow discomfort — his second such stint this year — and lefty Keegan Akin joined him there after an MRI on his own elbow. That's two high-leverage arms gone in the span of a week, which put extra weight on Bradish to give Craig Albernaz's staff a breather. Cincinnati has its own attrition in the outfield, with Blake Dunn and Dane Myers both banged up, though neither factored into Sunday's lineup fight.
None of that stopped this one from playing out as a low-scoring grind. Baltimore had already won the first two games of the series, 3-0 and 8-5, and looked poised to finish the job before Cincinnati scratched across two runs in the 5th and tacked on an insurance run in the 8th. The Orioles answered with single runs in the 6th and 9th, but it wasn't enough — the Reds held on, 3-2.
The Reds needed exactly this. They'd dropped 4 of their last 5 walking into Sunday, and Terry Francona has spent stretches of this season publicly steadying a clubhouse that's cycled through multiple losing streaks. Lodolo's turnaround fits that pattern — Francona said after his previous start that the lefty had 'turned a good corner,' and holding Baltimore to 2 runs backs that up.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Wednesday that Helsley is dealing with right elbow discomfort and will undergo further testing, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILKeegan Akin RP — The Orioles are awaiting MRI results on Akin's left elbow, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Bassitt SP — Bassitt (back) underwent a minor procedure to have bone spurs removed from his back, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYaramil Hiraldo RP — Hiraldo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at High-A Frederick, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista RP — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Saturday that Bautista (shoulder) has been "throwing really, really well" in his bullpen sessions, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILColin Selby RP — Selby plans to receive a second opinion on his right shoulder before continuing his rehab program, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle 1B — Mountcastle (foot) did some running Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg 3B — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBlake Dunn CF — Dunn (elbow) hoped to resume baseball activity Saturday but was not ready, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILDane Myers CF — Myers received an injection in the AC joint of his left shoulder Saturday, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes (back) will stick with High-A Dayton this weekend and then have his rehab moved to Triple-A Louisville next week, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTony Santillan RP — Reds manager Terry Francona said Friday that an MRI on Santillan's left oblique showed a significant strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft is expected to resume throwing soon after receiving good news Tuesday regarding the imaging on his injured right elbow UCL, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — Williamson (shoulder) injured his finger while working out, and his rehab program has been pushed back by about 10 days as a result, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
For Baltimore, the loss doesn't change the bigger picture. At 42-48 with Chris Bassitt (back surgery) and Zach Eflin (Tommy John) both out for the year, the front office is still weighing buy-or-sell with the deadline approaching, and a shorthanded bullpen makes that call tougher by the day.
Both clubs left Cincinnati with more questions than answers, but the Reds at least get to fly out feeling better about themselves than they did a week ago.