Drayage Brokersin Baltimore, MD

BALTIMORE -- The Angels once hoped to develop Kyle Bradish into a frontline starting pitcher, after they selected the former New Mexico State right-hander in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft. However, his time in the organization wasn’t long.

Eighteen months later, Bradish was among the four pitchers the Halos traded to acquire right-hander Dylan Bundy from the Orioles, who were frequently dealing big leaguers in their efforts to stockpile young talent amid their rebuild occurring at the time.

On Wednesday night, the Halos got their first up-close look at what Bradish has turned into.

Bradish tossed another great outing during his strong start to 2023, allowing one run over a season-high 6 2/3 innings in his first career start vs. Los Angeles during Baltimore’s 3-1 win at Camden Yards. He gave up only four hits, including a leadoff homer to Mike Trout in the fourth.

“Outstanding, outstanding start,” manager Brandon Hyde said.

Despite Bradish’s ties to the organization on the opposing side, the 26-year-old said there wasn’t anything special or unique about this starting assignment. It was just another trip to the mound.

“Not really. I only had really one year with them, so didn’t have that big of experience,” Bradish said. “But the time I did have, I made some really good friends that I still talk to. So in that aspect, yes, but not really different from any other start.”

It was similar to Bradish’s previous start, though, in that he was extremely effective. Last Friday night, he allowed only one unearned run in six innings in a win over the Pirates. He built on that Wednesday, when he retired 19 of the 23 Angels batters he faced.

Over his past two outings, Bradish has lowered his ERA from 5.95 to 3.90. He’s allowed three or fewer runs in all but one of his seven starts, with his rough April 25 appearance vs. the Red Sox (seven earned runs allowed in 2 1/3 innings) beginning to look like even more of an anomaly.

It’s been a continuation of the second half of Bradish’s 2022 rookie campaign, when he posted a 3.28 ERA over his final 13 starts. The biggest key to his success has been his ability to throw strikes early in counts and to avoid falling behind to hitters.

Bradish threw 15 first-pitch strikes on Wednesday, including to 12 of the 14 batters he faced over the first four innings.

“He was throwing every pitch where he wanted it to,” said third baseman Gunnar Henderson, who went 2-for-4 for his first multihit game since April 25. “He’s been electric these past few outings, and I know that’s expected from him. He does really well, and I love playing behind him because he works quick and he goes and attacks hitters.”

Bradish’s aggression has led to far fewer “non-competitive pitches,” Hyde believes. Early in his MLB career, the righty had too many offerings that were so far out of the zone that hitters weren’t tempted to chase. That’s no longer an issue.

Hyde was impressed by the “ton of life” Bradish’s four-seam fastball had vs. the Halos. He threw it 35 times for an average velocity of 94.3 mph, per Statcast. His 96.8 mph heater he threw to Taylor Ward on a 2-2 count in the game’s opening at-bat (which resulted in a foul ball) was his fastest pitch this season.

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Entering Wednesday, hitters were 9-for-22 (.409) against Bradish’s four-seamer. But the Angels went 2-for-6 against the pitch, with the only noteworthy hit coming from Trout, who got good extension on a high, outside heater that he sent a Statcast-projected 396 feet for a homer to center field.

“He’s got really good stuff,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said of Bradish. “Didn’t throw anything in the middle of the plate, threw a lot of strikes, and they were on the rails. Even the ball Mike hit was not a bad pitch. ... We didn’t hit a lot of balls hard, but he didn’t give us many chances to, either.”

Bradish’s recent production has provided a boost to an Orioles rotation that has been getting better outings of late after a bit of a slow start to the season. Through the first nine contests of this season-long 10-game homestand, seven starters have allowed three or fewer runs in an outing.

Baltimore’s rotation ERA is still at 4.96 (10th in the American League), but it’s on a descent.

Although Bradish couldn’t get through seven frames for the first time since an 8 2/3-inning scoreless gem last Sept. 22 against Houston -- his night ended Wednesday after his 94th pitch dropped in for a two-out bloop single by Brandon Drury -- he was satisfied with the results.

“Very pleased,” Bradish said. “Any time I can get into the seventh and have a quality start and help this team win, it’s very nice.”

When he finally turned back around, Neto was nearly halfway out onto the left-field grass at Oriole Park, the closest Angels player to the stadium’s tall left-field wall. This was unusual, since Neto plays shortstop.

“I’m not sure I’ve seen a guy go out that far on a popup,” manager Phil Nevin said. “I remember that one Ozzie [Smith] made, diving straight back. But as far as he went out, and as far as he had to go … you don’t see many guys catch popups like that.”

When you’re getting Ozzie Smith comparisons 30 games into your big league career, that’s pretty good. That’s the reality now for Neto, who turned Wednesday’s otherwise forgettable 3-1 loss to the Orioles into something of a mini defensive showcase.

The Angels’ No. 2 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) made two highlight-reel-worthy plays in a span of two innings, first sliding to his right to rob Joey Ortiz on a well-struck grounder in the sixth. Then the main event came in the seventh, when Neto ranged 104 feet (per Statcast) straight back to corral a legitimate outfield fly off the bat of Ryan Mountcastle. He somehow avoided a collision with left fielder Taylor Ward with an acrobatic over-the-shoulder catch that had his teammates and manager awestruck.

“That might have been one of the better plays I’ve seen a shortstop make, going back like that,” Nevin said. “Ever.”

Said Mike Trout: “I’ve never seen anything like that. We’ve had a lot of great shortstops here. To make a play that deep and avoid collision, that’s special. That’s fun to watch. He plays hard. He doesn’t give up on any play. That’s going to be on SportsCenter for sure.”

You might be thinking: I can’t remember many plays like that from a shortstop, either. Two reasons for that:

1. Similar batted balls are almost never caught by the shortstop

2. This season, at least, there basically haven’t been any

“I was trying to keep a nice, easy face, but I couldn’t stop smiling because I still don’t know how I made that play,” Neto said.

Let’s use data to help explain.

Per Statcast, the ball left Ryan Mountcastle’s bat with a 3 percent hit probability and a 99 percent catch probability for Ward. So it’s not like it was a surefire hit that Neto robbed; the ball is, in theory, supposed to be caught. The remarkable part is that Neto was there to catch it.

To do so, Neto needed to cover 104 feet and get 244 feet from home plate, while reaching a sprint speed of 26 feet per second. Ward needed to travel only 66 feet -- almost half! -- coming in on the ball, but initially broke back, got a late start and found himself sliding late to the spot. He also misplayed a shallow fly ball that turned into a Gunnar Henderson triple earlier in the game.

Luckily, Neto was there this time.

“They always tell us, 'Keep running until you hear something,'” Neto said. “I didn’t hear nothing, and just kept going for the ball and trying to make a play.”

It wasn’t the first time a shortstop used at least Neto’s speed (26 ft/sec) to cover at least 104 feet to record an out this season, but in all five other instances, the shortstop ran diagonal toward or past the foul line for balls they had the ideal angle on. Those plays are much more routine.

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None of the other five plays involved having to basically run straight back to make the play, leaving Neto’s in a class of its own in 2023. The Angels infield defense as a whole is improved this year (-1 cumulative outs above average entering Wednesday, 18th in MLB) compared to 2022 (24th in MLB) in part due to Neto, who became the first player from the 2022 MLB Draft to reach the Majors when he debuted in mid-April.

“I’m doing pretty good, just holding my own,” Neto said. “I’m doing anything I can. Putting my body in places I’ve never put it before. Just trying to do anything I can to keep the ball in the infield, make plays and anything I can do to get outs for the pitchers.”

There's no replacing Calais Campbell in Baltimore. First, there aren't many human beings like him on Earth. Second, he's a potential Hall of Fame player and leader.

But with Campbell now in Atlanta, Ravens Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald has the framework of the plan he'll deploy to make up for losing the veteran defensive lineman.

"Obviously, we love Calais," Macdonald said Wednesday as the Ravens continued Football School. "I don't think you look at it like we're trying to replace him. There's things that he does that not a lot of people can do on the field.

"There's things that will get piece-wised that we bring, whether it's interior rush or playing kind of all across the line early downs. We have the guys to do it. We have a great young core D-lineman."

Macdonald called it a "great opportunity" for Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington, two defensive tackles heading into their fourth seasons. Macdonald said it will specifically be an opportunity to "step up their interior pass rush game."

Madubuike tied Campbell for the second-most sacks on the team last year (5.5) and will likely keep keeps ascending. Washington was one of the team's breakout players last season, as he played in 17 games (nine starts) and had 49 tackles and one sack.

Another candidate is mammoth 6-foot-4, 334-pound defensive tackle Travis Jones, who was slowed by a knee injury early in his rookie season, but still played in 15 games (three starts) and made 24 tackles and a sack. Macdonald said Jones is "looking really good out there."

Outside of those three young players, Macdonald also expects to be creative in filling the gap.

"Like you know, we're flexible with personnel groups, so we could sub it out, put in another outside 'backer body," he said. "[We] could put a DB body on the game inside 'backer. So it's flexible at this point."

Odafe Oweh shined when moving inside last year and said Wednesday that he likes it. Ravens fourth-round rookie Tavius Robinson thrived with his hand in the dirt during his final season in Ole Miss. Players such as safety Kyle Hamilton, who is a strong tackler and blitzer, could also be part of the equation.

The Ravens utilized three safeties frequently throughout last season with Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark as the starters, with Kyle Hamilton playing 53% of the defensive snaps, primarily in the slot.

With Clark traded to the New York Jets and Hamilton projected for a starting role, Macdonald may shuffle his personnel groupings this season.

Macdonald said last year's three-safety usage with Hamilton in an atypical role "ended up being just a function of who we felt like gave us the best chance to win."

"Moving forward, that's what this process is all about – figuring out who has earned a job and who earns a right to be out there and play for us," Macdonald said. "How many safeties we have out there, that'll depend on the situation. Could we do three safeties again? Absolutely. You could have more of a nickel body in there this year, I think, depending on who ends up earning that spot."

The Ravens are banking on big steps forward from their young, talented outside linebackers, including Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo.Primarily in charge of unlocking that potential is new Outside Linebackers Coach Chuck Smith.

A former NFL defensive end, Smith comes from an unconventional coaching background with more than 20 years of experience developing and operating a pass-rush training program utilized by professional and college players and coaches. Now in his first positional coaching position in the NFL, Smith is making a good first impression with his players.

"He's a guru," Ojabo said. "He's just bringing [out] the best side of us, and he brings a lot of energy. [He] lets us be ourselves, lets us kind of dance off the ball. And I'm really excited just to see how our development comes."

"Working with Chuck, he's giving us the insight that a lot of guys – me in particular – haven't had," Oweh said. "A lot of my coaches, they're great coaches but they haven't really played the position. He's played the position, he's trained a lot of guys that played the position at a high level. I'm getting little tidbits that I wouldn't necessarily have gotten in past years."

Veteran free-agent addition Rock Ya-Sin is participating in Football School activities after signing two weeks ago and looks the part of a starting cornerback.

Ya-Sin missed the final five games of last season with the Las Vegas Raiders due to a knee injury. His health does not appear to be a question as he launches his offseason in Baltimore.

"With Rock, the best compliment I can give is he's physical, and he's such an aggressive player, and just that type of demeanor just fits in great here," Macdonald said. "And he looks great out there moving around. So, we're excited to see what he can do and what he can bring to the table for us."

Old Bay partnered with the Baltimore Tattoo Museum ahead of Preakness to offer free tattoos in honor of everyone’s favorite spice

Published on: May 18, 2023 5:30 AM EDT|Updated on: May 18, 2023 7:21 PM EDT

The line at the Baltimore Tattoo Museum wrapped around the block and down the street on Tuesday. Many had been waiting since the early morning hours in hopes of getting a free tattoo from some of the area’s most experienced artists. There was a catch, though.

The tattoo had to be one of the three Old Bay-themed designs created in partnership with McCormick as a special promotional offer ahead of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The first-come, first-serve event saw people choosing whether to forever etch a crab, mallet or black-eyed Susan — all with the Old Bay logo, of course — on their skin.

Michael Agugliaro entered the line at 6:15 a.m., ready to take on the crab design because he thought the crustaceans seemed funny looking and taste good. “I’ve always wondered what I’d look like with one [a tattoo]. I thought about it and was like, ‘You know what? I’m ready to go,’” he said. “I’ve heard it feels like a cat scratch on a sunburn, but I have no idea what to expect.”

David Bednar is already quite familiar with what the process feels like. Since he already has several tattoos, one more didn’t seem like a big deal. He learned about the event from a friend at work, Dewar General Contracting, who told him, “‘You go document it and we’ll put it on Instagram or whatever. We need social media content.’” But Bednar, who recently moved from New Jersey to Charm City, said his new crab design would still have a special meaning: “This tattoo will be commemorative of me moving here and being stoked on Baltimore.”

Carrie Meushaw, who sat next to him in line on a lawn chair in preparation for the long wait, had another reason entirely for getting the free tattoo. In town this past weekend from New York to visit her family for Mother’s Day, Meushaw extended her trip after learning about the opportunity so she and her mom could get tattoos together, something they had done years prior when Meushaw turned 18.

“I was going to leave Sunday but a friend of mine in D.C. sent me the details for this event, because, well, Old Bay. My dad has always had that in the cupboard. He calls it ‘mother’s milk’ because it goes with everything,” said Meushaw, who planned to get the crab ink. Meushaw’s mother, Melinda, who opted for the black-eyed Susan design, added, “She was supposed to go home, but I couldn’t let her so I went and got her and we took the back way to get down here at 8:30 a.m.”

The event was from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but by 11:30 a.m. there was already an estimated 200 people in line, and only 47 people were ultimately tattooed. Though seven artists worked throughout the day, the crab option was the most popular for participants and took the longest to tattoo.

McCormick public relations manager Cierra Colón said that the event commemorating the beloved spice was to ramp up excitement for the weekend ahead. “Preakness and Old Bay are two Maryland traditions, so it just made sense,” she said.

a-grounded to third for Soto in the 6th

b-grounded to shortstop for Moniak in the 7th

c-struck out swinging for Wallach in the 8th

a-flied out to right for Ortiz in the 7th

b-hit a ground rule double to for Hays in the 9th