Baltimore Orioles: A win and that’s a wrap!

The Baltimore Orioles fielded a team today headlined by Albert Suarez, with one goal: don’t get anyone hurt. It was the last game of the regular season, and for the Orioles it was meaningless. For both teams, actually. The result of the game was ill-important, but the Orioles won. And they succeeded in their goal. Suarez’s line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K.

Suarez gave up two solo homers – one in the second to Santana, and the other in the third to Keirsey. What was interesting to me was whether or not they would effectively use Albert Suarez as an “opener,” potentially allowing him to pitch in the Wild Card series this coming week. However given that he pitched deep into the game, it now stands to reason that he may not even be on the roster for the Wild Card. We don’t know for sure, but that’s a definite possibility. Time will tell.

Again, the result of the game didn’t matter today. In fact, it didn’t matter last night either. But they still posted up. James McCann smacked an Earl Weaver special, a three-run homer in the fifth inning. That gave the O’s a 3-2 lead.

The Birds would load the bases in the sixth, allowing Jordan Westburg to come up with a chance to do some damage. Mind you, in theory this would qualify as a big moment in the game. In a meaningless game, but still a big moment.

The good news is that Westburg’s situational hitting instincts were strong. He smacked a two-RBI single, extending the lead to 5-2. Heston Kjerstad would smack on final regular season homer in the eighth, and the Birds went home 6-2 winners on the last day.

And…that’s it. That’s the end! Game 162. It goes as a win, but again more importantly nobody got injured as the Orioles now head home for the Wild Card series on Tuesday. Following a meaningless victory on the last day of the season, the Birds finished the year 91-71.

Again make no mistake that today’s game was meaningless. So was last night’s and in effect Friday’s was as well – sort of, but I digress. It’s good that the Birds finished strong. Even better that nobody was injured, but it’s good to finish strong going into the playoffs.

It’ll be interesting to see if in fact Albert Suarez is left off the roster for the Wild Card round. Teams can re-tool their postseason roster for each round, so if they advance he could be “reactivated” for the division series. If he were pitching on regular rest, he wouldn’t pitch again until Friday.

All that we definitively know is that the Orioles will play on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday – and on Thursday if necessary. Those games will be at Camden Yards, against either Detroit or Kansas City. Corbin Burnes will be on the mound on Tuesday.