McCann: "We don't listen to the outside noise"

ARLINGTON, Texas – The temperature of the Orioles hasn’t changed in the Texas heat or the air conditioning inside Globe Life Field.

They aren’t in a panic after losing the first two games of the American League Division Series. They aren’t consumed with doubts.

They aren’t paying attention to the skeptics and doomsayers.

“Obviously, this is different because of the playoffs, but we've been in this spot before,” said catcher James McCann. “We've lost two games in a series and we've bounced right back. I think that's the mindset we have to have today. We can't change our mindset. We can't change who we've been for 162 games, the success we've had coming into the playoffs. Just because we're down 0-2 doesn't mean we need to change who we are. Staying true to who we are, having each other's back and go out and play the game hard. See what happens.”

“Every game we play, we're trying to win the game. I feel that way,” said Ryan O’Hearn, who’s serving as designated hitter tonight.

“I said it yesterday and a lot of guys feel that way in the clubhouse. It's a close group. It's guys that are not ready to go home. We want to continue to play. So, I think just coming out here tonight with a ton of energy, just playing hard, just like we've done all season. There's no secret and the game of baseball can be crazy at times and all these things happen, but I trust our guys and we've been in these types of situations all year. We go down two games in a series and find a way to fight back. So, if anybody can find a way to win and keep our season alive, it would be this group of guys.”

The veterans aren’t compelled to pull aside the younger players and talk about tonight’s predicament. Everyone understands how the math works, that one more loss eliminates them.

“I don't think I've heard anyone talk about it,” McCann said. “It's something that goes unsaid. We didn't talk about it during the season. We lost two games in a row, three games in a row, it's not like we sat around talking about 'We better win today.' Something that's so special about this group is the tenacity and the grit that yesterday didn't matter. The day before didn't matter.

“We're focused on today. We're focused on each individual pitch, each individual inning, and the game is going to play out how it's going to play out.”

The Orioles went 52-29 on the road this season. They know how to win away from home, which also improves their outlook on the ALDS with two victories required in Arlington.

“I think that one thing about this team is we don't listen to the outside noise,” McCann said. “You can go all the way back to spring training, when no one gave us a shot. People don't give teams on the road a shot. We don't really listen to that. We're down 0-2. A lot of people are counting us out already. We don't listen to that.

“We show up to play each inning, each game, and we're going to play the same way we've done all year. I think it's special what we did on the road this year, but it's not something we sit around and talk about, we played so good on the road. We just focus on what we can control and that's how we've handled our business all year.”

Said O’Hearn: “We don't feel like we play better at home or better on the road. I just think that we compete and we like to play. I don't think it matters to us that we're playing on the road as far as, like, you know, ‘Oh, we're going into their house.’ It's like, ‘No, we're still alive.’

“We've got an opportunity to play again tonight and keep the season going. Who knows what can happen? And definitely throughout the season, having success on the road is a confidence-builder. But I don't know if there's a specific reason as to why we played well on the road, but we just have.”

The Orioles have lost the first two games of a postseason series for the second time in club history. The Royals swept them in the 2014 Championship Series.

They’ve gone 5-10 in playoff elimination games, including 4-5 on the road, and are 9-11 in a Game 3.

The Orioles lost back-to-back games 17 times this season. The streak reached three or more games on four occasions. Five times, the two-game skid was followed by a winning streak of at least three.

Dean Kremer is asked to be the stopper tonight, in his first career playoff game. Or at least put the club in a position to win.

To prevent manager Brandon Hyde from having to restart another parade of relievers.

“Dean has put together an incredible year for us,” McCann said. “He's pitched in a lot of big games. Obviously, the games where we clinched the postseason and clinched the AL East. For a guy who didn't get off to the type of start he wanted to, the adjustments he made in season and his bulldog mentality, there's no one I trust more to have the ball in a game like tonight.”

O’Hearn nodded his head as he sat next to McCann in the interview room.

“Probably my biggest takeaway, the kind of competitor that he is,” O’Hearn said. “Any time he gets the ball, you can tell he's all business. From the minute he gets into the field and then, you know, when he's on the mound, he's the ultimate competitor. Definitely trust him in a big game like this, and excited to see what he's going to do.”

O’Hearn is hitless in his last 25 at-bats but receives his first start because the Rangers are sending right-hander Nathan Eovaldi to the mound.

“I feel like I'm hitting the ball the same I have all season long,” he said. “Can think of a few lineouts and that swing the other day back home, just kind of hit it to the wrong part of the park. But I feel confident in the box. Swing feels good. I feel like I'm right where I need to be going into tonight.”

Kyle Gibson warmed in Game 2 and is in the bullpen again tonight. That’s how “all hands on deck” works.

Gibson could start Game 4 if the Orioles stay alive and he isn’t needed in relief.

“We've got to try to win tonight,” Hyde said, “so he's going to be available out of the bullpen for us in certain situations.”