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.

Baltimore Orioles: First back-to-back postseason appearances since 1996-97

We’ve established that the Baltimore Orioles are in the postseason. 2023-24 marks the first time since 1996-97 that the franchise has accomplished that feat. I was in high school, for the record. And I freely admit that I shadily snuck a radio into Chemistry class to listen to the games.

I suspect most fans expected this year to be the rosy victory lap last year was. But reality has a way of setting things the way it wants them. It shouldn’t be lost on folks that last year both World Series teams were Wild Cards. What does that mean in 2024? Nothing. But it’s of note.

Maybe not getting the layoff after winning the division (if in fact that’s what it ends up being) keeps their momentum going. Maybe getting their team “whole” again in the nick of time gives them a second wind. That all remains to be seen.

The push to get in the playoffs is over. However they can’t rest easy just yet. The magic number to clinch the top wild card is two. That means any combination of two Oriole wins or Detroit losses would mean the Birds clinch that top wild card. Obviously there’s still a super-outside chance they could win the division, but we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.

End of the day, you don’t want to have to go on the road for that wild card series. Assuming the opponent is Detroit, yes the O’s struggled against them the past two weeks. But obviously in a weakened state, as they didn’t have all of their players. However either way, you’d rather play anyone at home as opposed to at their place.

So the next goal has to be to clinch home field advantage in the wild card. That begins today. In the Bronx. It may not have been exactly as we thought it would be, but the Orioles have returned to the postseason yet again. So now we go on.

Baltimore Orioles launch into the postseason

In what feels like light years ago, Dean Kremer gave the Baltimore Orioles another outstanding start. Odds are he would have gone deeper into the game had it been under different circumstances, but fact is this already was a postseason game for the Birds – in a sense. And Kremer rose to the occasion. Kremer’s line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K.

It’s never easy. It hasn’t been all season. Especially of late. This much we know. But the O’s battled in this one, and on any given day of the season, this would be a great win.

Following a one out single and double, Heston Kjerstad’s RBI-groundout in the second inning gave the Birds a 1-0 lead. Ryan O’Hearn extended the lead to 2-0 in the fourth with an RBI-single. For the record, that came following Anthony Santander having gone to second base on a wild pitch. Attention to detail.

However New York would narrow the lead back to one later in that fourth inning on Judge’s solo homer. However Kremer limited the damage, and made a subsequent great play in the field, and got the Birds out of the inning without further incident. Buckling down in that moment made as big a difference as anything.

But that was never going to be enough. Anthony Santander’s solo homer off the right field foul pole in the sixth and Ramon Urias’ solo shot in the seventh extended the lead to 4-1. But even that wasn’t enough – almost.

NY had runners at the corners with two outs in the last of the seventh. Torres’ RBI-double narrowed the lead to 4-2. That brought Soto to the plate, one of the two biggest heavy hitters – in a lineup full of heavy hitters. And he sent an RBI-single for to right, which should have tied the score. However Torres was held up at third base…

…and chaos seemingly ensued. The O’s caught Torres in a rundown. A 9-2-6-2-5-2-6 rundown resulting in an out, to be exact. Attention to detail.

That should have tied the game. It didn’t. And the Orioles capitalized, with Colton Cowser’s solo homer in the eighth. That gave the O’s a slight cushion, and the bullpen found a way to close things out. That narrowed the magic number to one, and by virtue of Miami beating Minnesota, the Orioles clinched a postseason spot.

So the Birds return to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996-97. It’s only one step. But it’s a big one, and it came at a price. Whereas last season was a rosy victory lap down the stretch, this year was a struggle until the end. And even this game – New York had the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning. But one way or the other, they found a way. And they made it.

That Torres play in the seventh – it was also big because by virtue of the inning ending there, it all but guaranteed that Soto and Judge wouldn’t come up again before the end of nine. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but it felt like something dramatic would have to happen. Not smart base running by New York. And the Orioles benefitted.

The series continues tomorrow evening at Yankee Stadium. Zach Eflin gets the start for the O’s, and he’ll be opposed by New York’s Nestor Cortes. Game time is set for just after 7 PM.

Baltimore Orioles: Too much plate

Solo homers did hurt the Baltimore Orioles’ Albert Suarez today, they say solo home runs shouldn’t hurt you. However when you give up multiple solo shots…is there really a difference between that and a three-run homer? To be clear, Suarez didn’t pitch poorly per se. He just gave up a few solo shots. Suarez’s line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K,

I’ve said versions of this for some time. However Detroit pitchers seemed to live on the fringes of the plate – and they got the called strikes. Albert Suarez, like many other Oriole pitchers, was throwing strikes. And they were being hit.

After retiring the first five hitters, Suarez gave up a solo homer to Torkelson in the second. He then surrendered back-to-back doubles, the second of which was an RBI-double by Sweeney. One inning later Carpenter smacked a solo home run, and the O’s trailed 3-0.

The best news of the day for the Birds was that they saw the return of both Ramon Urias and Jordan Westburg this afternoon. They were called up off their rehab stints just before the game, and made an immediate impact…

…Urias singled with one out in the fifth. He was followed by Cedric Mullins, who slugged the Birds right back into the game with a two-run homer. That was followed by a Gunnar Henderson single. This bringing the other returned player, Jordan Westburg, to the plate.

Ramon Urias made his immediate impact by getting on base to start a rally. Westburg made his by scoring Gunnar Henderson on an RBI-triple which tied the game in the last of the fifth. If you question how much the O’s had missed some of these injured players, the fifth inning today should make it clear.

Incidentally the O’s almost took the lead in that inning. Colton Cowser was robbed of a homer by Detroit’s Meadows. The ball was over the wall, and Meadows brought it back. Outstanding play. However that play ended up being bigger than it looked even at the time, as Suarez surrendered a third solo homer in the top of the sixth, this to Carpenter. His second of the game.

And with the Orioles not being able to score again, that catch by Meadows cost the Orioles the game. Just to show he wasn’t kidding, Ramon Urias made a play for an extra bases in the ninth, and Meadows ran it down. It’s also worth mentioning that Colton Cowser was thrown out at third base in the fourth – the second out of the inning. This following an Adley Rutschman single – with Cowser on first…

…should Cowser have stayed at second base? In my opinion, yes. It wasn’t a risk worth taking. And it cost the Birds an out and a runner in scoring position.

But again, this came as a result of the O’s throwing too many strikes. And too good of strikes. Combine that with a team like Detroit who was intent on being aggressive at the plate, and you see the result.