Baltimore Orioles 2024 season recap

Opening Day dawned bright for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. With the Francis Scott Key Bridge in ruins and community severely hampered as a result, Baltimore needed a pick me up. And they got it that day behind new starter Corbin Burnes; the Orioles bludgeoned the LA Angels, in what they hoped set the tone for the season.

And in many ways it did. The Orioles for starters seemed to beat up on every team they saw. They did it with a lot of homers, but they won games. End of the day, that’s what’s important.

However slowly, injuries are away at the Birds. The likes of Kyle Bradish, John Means, and Tyler Wells – all gone. To Tommy John’s. This isn’t to say however that the season went down the pipes. The 2024 Orioles very much had a next man up sort of mentality. However the issue became what happens when the next man up gets hurt also?

Yet, as I said they did win some big games. True to form they took care of business in the AL East, as well as against eventual playoff teams. They took two-of-three from Philadelphia in June, and three-of-four from Texas. They also had a very successful west coast swing around the 4th of July that put them in a good spot going into the break.

However again, injuries are away. Dean Kremer had to spend some time on the IL, as did a few relievers. Closer Craig Kimbrell also struggled to find the strike zone, blowing numerous saves. Jorge Mateo, Ryan Mountcastle, Ramon Urias, and Jordan Westburg all went to the IL. The latter of that group was out for two months. Mateo missed the rest of the season (after the end of July).

The O’s did struggle at times down the stretch. When they went from all-star Jordan Westburg playing third, to Emmanuel Rivera, you thought they could maybe be in trouble. However the division remained close. While the Orioles couldn’t make it over the hump to win the division, they were able to qualify as the top wild card in the playoffs.

And as we know, the Birds were swept out of the postseason by Kansas City. As had happened several times over the course of the season, Oriole bats went silent. The pitching however was about as solid as solid can be. Which is all but pointless, given that they only put up one run in two games. But it was strong.

Where do the Orioles go from here? It’s pointless to wonder what happened, or think it can be fixed overnight. It’s equally as pointless to think there’s a quick fix. Injuries played a role for sure, however with the exception of pitchers the O’s were fairly healthy going into the playoffs.

I would simply tell fans not to lose faith. Look down the road to the Washington Capitals of the NHL. It took them years of having a championship-caliber team before the final made it over the hump. It’s tough to get to that point – the postseason. It’s even tougher to stay there.

This off season is huge for the organization. They’re going to want to keep the likes of Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander, the latter of which hit over 40 homers this year. Both are free agents. The O’s can’t afford to lose them.

They also need to add to the roster they have. The fact that they have Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, and others is great. But they need more. If Adley Rutschman can come out of his second half slump going into 2025, that’ll put a lot of things to rest.

The story of this season is that injuries took their toll. However hope springs eternal in a few short months. Overall, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that it was a terrible year for the Orioles. They thought it would end differently and in a more prominent manner, yes. But February, Sarasota…hope springs eternal.

Baltimore Orioles: The day after

The Baltimore Orioles expected to be playing past today. That goes without saying. However the 2024 season has now ended. In a few months hope will spring eternal again.

The overall story of the season will probably be that it was riddled with injuries. The ironic part of that is that at the tail end of the regular season they got people back in the field (and at the plate), and the pitching staff remained decimated by injuries. Three guys having had Tommy John’s and all…

…yet you’d be hard-pressed to say that Oriole pitching let them down in the playoffs, the bats on the other hand…there’s almost an element of not making any sense in that. Especially given that Oriole bats were strong as soon as they started getting people back. New York and Minnesota would attest to that.

I don’t think anyone outside of that clubhouse is qualified to say what happened or why. Teams go through peaks and valleys throughout the season, and the Orioles saw both over the course of the regular season. Remember that folks – BOTH. While the valleys always ring lower than the peaks seem to reach, there were plenty of games where this offense battered pitching staffs. Including both the first and final series’ of the regular season.

It’s unfair to speculate on what, if anything, changes in the off season. This regarding the coaching staff or anything else. Obviously there needs to be some sort of urgency in the sense that Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander will be free agents. Most of the time teams don’t sign guys during the playoffs, but you never know.

And on that note we don’t know how the current ownership will do things. This is the first off season they’ve been at the helm. So it’s pointless to say that historical data says both players are elsewhere next year – because there is no historical data in a sense. David Rubenstein’s group took over stewardship of the franchise the day before Opening Day. The roster was already set.

But there’s time to look at that aspect of things. Needless to say, the O’s can ill afford to lose either. End of the day, the O’s need to figure out what went wrong, fix it, and move onward into 2025. Easier said than done.

Baltimore Orioles: Zanily eliminated

With today’s 2-1 loss to Kansas City at Camden Yards, the Baltimore Orioles were eliminated from the postseason, ending their 2024 season. It was another game of inches, and one that was there for the taking. Starter Zach Eflin probably would have gone deeper had this not been a postseason game. Eflin’s line: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

The lone run surrendered by Eflin came in the first inning on an RBI-single by Pasquantino. And that came following a double and a groundout. That’s how Kansas City plays.

Despite pitching fairly strong, Eflin was pulled after four innings. I found that curious, as Eflin seemed like he was shutting them down after a giving up the one run. But the fact is you have to manage postseason games differently than you do regular season ones. Brandon Hyde made the decisions he did, and for his own reasons.

And say what you will, but somehow that did spark something in the Birds – sort of. Kansas City did load the bases in the fifth following Eflin’s departure. But the Oriole bullpen pitched out of it, with Jacob Webb recording a strikeout for the final out. A few pitches into the last of the fifth, it was tied due to a Cedric Mullins solo homer.

The O’s would load the bases later in the inning with nobody down. Not only did they look to take the lead, but they were poised for a big inning. However Anthony Santander popped out softly on the infield, and Colton Cowser struck out – technically.

I say that, because he was hit on the hand. With the bases loaded. However in getting out of the way, he swung the bat. Strike three. Adley Rutschman would ground out to end the inning.

The Cowser strikeout was especially tough to fathom. Cowser was later lifted from the game. Unfortunately if you swing, it’s a strike. Even if it hits you also.

Detroit would put two on in the sixth; one on an infield hit that was legged out, and a second on an infield hit resulting from a Baltimore chop. The irony. Witt’s subsequent RBI-single gave Kansas City a 2-1 lead.

Maybe it’s fitting the game turned out that way. What should and could have been an RBI-HBP ends up a strikeout. And two infield hits which otherwise would have probably resulted in outs put the opponent in a position to win. There are a million things that could be said about this game and this season. And I suspect it will be. But it’ll have to wait.

I’ll leave it at this; the O’s won 91 games this year. That can’t be discounted, and it can’t be forgotten. That, along with the low moments are part of the overall season story. You’re hard-pressed to say a team that won 91 games underachieved. Especially with the injuries they had. But needless to say, many will.

End of the day, you win with class and lose with dignity. This team did both of those things. Always. Everyday. That should mean something. Most will say it won’t. But to the true blue fans of this franchise, it does. Make no mistake, the O’s made the playoffs for a reason. And they will do so again.

Baltimore Orioles: Despite Corbin Burnes, O’s only have tomorrow

The Baltimore Orioles traded for Corbin Burnes in the offseason for today’s game. To start game one of a postseason series. And he proved to be the ace the Birds thought they were getting, in the moment he was meant for. Burnes’ line: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K.

Many fans walk away from a game such as this in a circumstance like this and question if it was worth the while to make the trade. It didn’t matter, they still lost. Either that, or some other baseball mind of consequence will argue he was the losing pitcher so your point is just wrong. No serious baseball fan would think of this game in that context. Yet, loudmouths are loudmouths, and they always know best – right?!

The Orioles unfortunately ran up against a starter in Kansas City’s Ragans today who was almost just as good. Actually, Burnes pitches a slightly better game. So go figure that one.

Ragans still shut the Birds down, however. Save for one moment, where they almost got to him. Cedric Mullins smacked a one-out double in the last of the fifth in a scoreless game. It was an odd ball that took a funny turn before hitting in the outfield. Ramon Urias followed with a single, which yes technically was a hit with RISP. However Mullins had to hold up at second to ensure the ball fell in, and only got to third.

James McCann and Gunnar Henderson struck out to end the inning. That was a golden opportunity, which Oriole bats let go by the wayside. And predictably, it bit them.

Burnes issued a one-out walk in the sixth to Garcia, who promptly stole second base. Witt Jr’s RBI-single would give Kansas City a 1-0 lead. Burnes has struggled to hold runners on all season. He’s been better of late, but it happened when the Orioles could least afford it.

Both sides rumbled a bit down the stretch, but that’s the only run that crossed the plate all game. And the O’s now find themselves in a 1-0 hole in a best-of-three series. I don’t need to mention how important tomorrow’s game is…

…because tomorrow’s all the Orioles have. You can’t say there’s “no tomorrow,” because that isn’t true. They do have tomorrow. Beyond that is in question. But tomorrow is there, and the Orioles need to to do whatever they can to maximize it.

In an elimination game, the series continues tomorrow at Camden Yards. Zach Eflin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Seth Lugo. Game time is set for just after 4:30 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: The mystery Burnes

The Baltimore Orioles open the postseason this afternoon. Game one of three in a Wild Card series against Kansas City at Camden Yards. Whether they’ll be the noise or have it made against them remains to be seen.

There’s a subset of the fanbase which is incredibly disappointed that the Orioles are even playing in the Wild Card round. Yes, I suppose that the goal was to win the division again. And the fact is that it was there for the taking.

However given the injuries this team had, the fact that they made it to this point at all, much less now with many pieces of the team back and active, is a minor miracle. You can’t wear blinders and have tunnel vision in the sense that you discount the fact that this team had obstacles over 162 games. Now every team has obstacles, including many of the other teams in the postseason – such as New York, who was bitten at the end by a couple of injuries.

However the fact that this team had the injuries that it did had to factor into the overall story of the 2024 Orioles. And the fact is that the story isn’t written yet. The second part of it begins to be written today.

The Orioles traded for Corbin Burnes in the off season almost specifically for today. To start game one of a postseason series. That’s not to say that whether or not the trade was worth the while will be decided today alone. Burnes meant a lot to this team down the stretch – meaning he’s meant a lot to them already.

However the sting of last season’s division series is still there. The Orioles were ambushed by a buzz saw that was hellbent on the World Series. So they need a strong start this afternoon to set the tone for the playoffs. Which is why they traded for Corbin Burnes.

It won’t be easy. Kansas City wasn’t expected to be here. Therefore they’re playing with house money. Their season could end and it would still be a success. Any team with Bobby Witt Jr. is going to be tough to beat. Especially knowing that one of Burnes’ weaknesses has been holding runners on.

The Orioles don’t have that luxury. If their season ends this week a lot of people won’t see it as a success. End of the day if you get into the postseason I think you can say it was a good year, but again a subset of the fanbase would disagree with that. None of this is to say that the Orioles are overmatched on paper. They’re at home, and they’re playing a team against whom they went 4-2 in the regular season.

Furthermore while Kansas City may just be happy to be there, are they really salivating at playing the Orioles? Probably not. Would anyone? Probably not. But ultimately the game isn’t played on paper. Ultimately this isn’t the NCAA Tournament, where people pick who competes. Everyone playing now earned their spot over 162 games.

The Wild Card series begins this afternoon at Oriole Park at Camden Yards against Kansas City. The aforementioned Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Kansas City’s Cole Ragans. Game time is set for just after 4 PM.

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.

Baltimore Orioles: No give in these Birds

The Baltimore Orioles started…Matt Bowman? Yes folks, you read that correctly. Bowman in essence acted as an “opener,” a role of which I’m not a fan. However Brandon Hyde is obviously getting his team ready for the postseason, and strategically using guys. Bowman’s line: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.

Brandon Hyde went with a lineup that didn’t involve Gunnar Henderson. Or Colton Cowser. Among others. This game, along with that of tomorrow is meaningless. The Orioles defeated Tampa 6-4 on the penultimate Spring Training game. That’s exactly what tonight’s game was.

However that isn’t to say that the guys who did play mailed it in. They didn’t. The team went out there and competed. And they did so with pride.

The assault against Minnesota started early. Ryan O’Hearn sent a ball down the left field line that kept carrying in the first inning, and it snuck over the wall. The Orioles led 2-0 early.

One inning later the real star of this game began to show his face. That being Emmanuel Rivera, who doubled the lead with a two-run homer of his own, extending it to 4-0. Rivera would come up again in the third, and smacked a two-RBI double. Two innings later, it was a two-run home run in the fifth, extending the lead to 8-0.

Adley Rutschman would tack on an RBI-groundout in the seventh. Minnesota would also get on the board with a two-run home run by Jeffers. But again, I think it’s worth noting that the Orioles didn’t just roll over in this game. It was truly meaningless, as is tomorrow’s. It would have been easy to mail it in. They didn’t.

And almost everyone in the lineup used it as a tuneup. None more so however than Emmanuel Rivera. This might have been his best game as a pro. Definitely his best as an Oriole. It shows that just about every player is valuable to the Birds. And they’ve all played a role.

The series, and the season, conclude tomorrow at Target Field. Albert Suarez gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Bailey Ober. Game time is set for just after 3 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Hyde played the odds

Whether or not Baltimore Orioles’ manager Brandon Hyde is a gambling man, I don’t know. I can tell you that I’m not, as I’m risk-adverse! However I think he did make a calculation on Thursday, one that in theory COULD still bite him. But it was the correct assumption.

The O’s trailed New York 1-0 following a solo home run. They say solo shots don’t beat you – and for the most part that’s true. However Hyde lifted starter Corbin Burnes, who was otherwise dominant. This in anticipation of a start in the Wild Card round on Tuesday. A series that’s after last night’s 7-2 win in Minnesota, will be played at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

However something else is striking about the scores from around the league last night. That being that New York lost to Pittsburgh. Going into Thursday’s game, if the Orioles swept the rest of the season and New York had lost out, the O’s would have won the East.

You see where I’m going with this; did Hyde’s calculation actually backfire? If the O’s win tonight and tomorrow and New York loses out, then many people will say that. It was a winnable game when Burnes exited on Thursday. It later blew up when the bullpen got knocked around, which is a separate problem going into the postseason. However if somehow that scenario unfolds, I’d expect many couch critics to pile on Hyde for in essence punting the division.

Which I think would be misguided. First off, precious few of us know the day-to-day of managing a big league team. All managers know their teams in and out. Fans don’t. So therefore it’s tough to judge.

However what really are the odds that the aforementioned scenario comes to pass? I would say that the O’s have a better shot at sweeping Minnesota than Pittsburgh does at sweeping New York, but that’s a lot that’s beyond the Orioles’ control. Hyde realized what “the score” was, and he began planning accordingly.

After last night’s win, the next two games in essence are tune up’s. Translated: they’re meaningless. That doesn’t mean you don’t still go out and try to win the games. And I know the Orioles will. You want to finish strong. But the results have no bearing on the postseason. And yes, you don’t want to risk further injury.

I would also point out that the same mentality who would criticize Hyde playing the odds the way he did, would be critical if they went full steam ahead and went for it. Some folks are just contrarians. Again, I think pulling back in a sense was the correct thing to do.

The O’s next take on Minnesota again this evening at Target Field. The Orioles’ starter is the elusive TBD, but whomever he is will be opposed by Minnesota’s Zebby Mathews. Game time is set for 7:15 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: NY takes the division despite Corbin Burnes’ strong start

Corbin Burnes was good this evening for the Baltimore Orioles. This in his final start of the regular season. It was a semi-truncated start, and odds are Burnes will start next Tuesday in game one of the Wild Card series. Burnes’ line: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 9 K.

End of the day, the Orioles came into this game mathematically still alive to win the division. However even had they won tonight, you’re still putting a heck of a lot of pressure on them to sweep in Minnesota this weekend. And even if that happened, all New York would have needed to do would be to beat Pittsburgh once and it would have been irrelevant. Am I saying the Birds and Brandon Hyde punted the game?

No, at least not directly. But I suspect they weighed the probability, recognized that the odds were against them, and maybe mailed it in a bit. At the very least, they said if we win, great. If not, we’ll see you Tuesday.

Burnes pitched masterfully, giving up a solo homer to Stanton in the second inning. And that’s all he gave up. He was lifted after five with a low pitch count. Again, could he have pitched deeper into the game? YES.

However odds are Brandon Hyde was okay with whatever happened in this game – win or lose. Would winning what’s a DE FACTO meaningless game in the Bronx make up for potentially losing next week? You know the answer to that.

A six-run sixth for New York broke the game wide open. Judge and Verdugo would smack solo homers in the ninth to cap off New York’s division-clinching 10-0 win. For what it’s worth, it was walks that killed the Orioles in that sixth inning. That’s something that can’t continue next week. Emmanuel Rivera would get the O’s on the board in the ninth with a sac fly-RBI.

I would remind folks that the Orioles took two-of-three in this series. They also clinched a playoff spot two nights ago, which is the goal of every regular season. You have to look at the mean of anything, and overall this was a good series for the Birds.

It was also a coming out party for the “put back together” Orioles’ lineup. The Detroit’s or Kansas City’s of the world might not be too thrilled to see that the Orioles’ offense was firing on a lot of different cylinders once again.

The Birds need one win or one Detroit loss to clinch the top wild card spot. You never want to rest easy, especially given that Detroit plays Chicago this weekend. However odds are the Orioles open the Wild Card Series next week at home. They would need to get swept and Detroit would have to sweep Chicago for that not to be the case.

The Orioles now head to Minnesota for game one at Target Field in the final series of the regular season. Cade Povich gets the start for the Birds, and he’ll be opposed by Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez. Game time is set for just after 8 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Bronx Cheer

The only downside to tonight’s game for the Baltimore Orioles is that starter Zach Eflin wasn’t around to be the pitcher of record. He missed getting the win by one out, however the more important thing is that the team wins. And they did. Eflin’s line: 4.2 IP. 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 1 K.

The real shocker was the five walks. Eflin doesn’t walk people. However the fact is that you aren’t going to have your best stuff all the time. Luckily for the Birds, it happened when they didn’t need him to have his best stuff.

New York had to scratch their original starter (Cortes) due to injury concerns. These Orioles of course know all about injuries; nobody had any sympathy when the injury bug bit them, And they didn’t offer that courtesy to their division rivals.

To be blunt, they ambushed New York from the beginning. They loaded the bases in the first inning with nobody out, and Colton Cowser’s two-RBI double gave them a 2-0 lead. Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI-single later in the inning extended it to 3-0 before the inning ended. And that was almost a disappointment – that they only got three runs that inning. But you take what you can get against New York in the Bronx.

New York would get on the board in the second on an RBI-single by Volpe. But the Birds did exactly what you should do against New York – they never really stopped adding on. In the fourth Gunnar Henderson’s two-RBI single extended the lead to 5-1. The best part? That came after a stolen base by Cedric Mullins. Having a more balanced attack offensively is yielding the Birds additional bases.

Yet, the inning wasn’t over yet. Henderson would score on an RBI-double by Anthony Santander. That brought Colton Cowser to the plate, and another RBI-double plus a James McCann RBI-single later the O’s led 7-1. This all in the fourth inning.

In most cases you’d say the game was over. And in reality, it was teetering towards being over most of the night. However this was against New York in the Bronx. Soto reminded the Orioles of that with a two-run homer in the fifth. But again, the O’s shut things down after that. Which is exactly how to play it.

For good measure, Jordan Westburg tacked on an eighth inning RBI-single to extend the lead to 9-3. And it’s a darned good thing he did. Because New York would get an RBI-single from Soto, and a three-run homer from Judge in the last of the ninth. At 9-7, the game was closer than the score indicates. But the Orioles won – which is all that matters to them.

They also prevented New York from celebrating at their expense with a division title. This for the second consecutive game. With the win, the Orioles snapped a six-series losing streak, and narrowed the magic number to clinch (at least) the top wild card spot to one.

The series concludes tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. Corbin Burnes gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Gerritt Cole. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.