O'Hearn: "We want to do something special together"

Ryan O’Hearn is treating today like it’s the first game of the Wild Card round. He’s being literal. He denies any motivation to get back at the Royals, who drafted him in 2014 and kept him in the majors for five seasons before the cash considerations trade with the Orioles in January 2023.

That’s his story, and he’s playfully sticking to it.

“Obviously you want to win every playoff game and every game you play,” he said this morning at his media session. “There's really no, like, revenge in my mind.”

Then came the slight pause and the kicker.

“You know,” he added, “even if there was, I wouldn't tell you guys.”

O’Hearn got his laugh and switched back to serious mode.

“No, they are a great team and I've got a lot of respect for the people over there,” he said. “I have nothing but good things to say about them. But at the same time, you know, we want to win obviously. We want to win a World Series, and it's been a long year, ups and downs, and you know, I think this team is primed and ready to make a playoff run.

“We're not happy to be here. We are but we are not. We want to do more. And after last year, I think it's a good reminder of how quickly this can be over. So guys are definitely motivated, ready to get after it.”

Last year’s failure to win a game in the Division Series sticks with the Orioles. They keep hearing about it anyway. They don’t have much choice except to relive the sweep. And they can’t brush it off.

“I wouldn't say it's fresh. I would say I'm aware of it. Guys in the clubhouse are definitely aware of it,” O’Hearn said.

“It just seemed so abrupt. I think for me, it's motivation. Like I don't want to experience that again. We have such a good group of guys in there. A lot of ups and downs, especially in the second half. We want to keep playing. You know, we want to do something special together. So I wouldn't say it's fresh but there's definitely probably, you know, guys are aware of it in the back of their heads, so we're not just happy to be in the Wild Card. We want to keep going. We want to win.”

The losses in the ALDS, with a sullen visiting clubhouse following Game 3 at Globe Life Field, could be spun to benefit them this week and moving forward.

“I think it helps that a lot of us were a part of that team last year,” said second baseman Jordan Westburg. “It's a different situation, though. Last year we had four days to prepare for the Rangers coming to town. This year it's one day off and hop right into it.

“Preparation standpoint, it's just a little bit different. Personnel, I think is helps having that experience. I think it helps having some older guys, too, some veteran guys that have been on postseason teams that weren't here last year that have been on World Series teams that have won in the postseason. I don't know that I can speak to, like, exactly how prepared everybody is. You know, we know our opponent. We know how good they are. I think we are all ready to play postseason baseball. A few of us have some experience on this team last year and other guys are going to bring their experience from other clubs into this clubhouse and are just going to take one day at a time.”

Westburg has returned after missing almost two months with a fractured right hand. He’s played in six games and gone 5-for-26.

“I mean, I feel good,” he said. “I don't think that I'm like 100 percent right. Kind of didn't have the buildup that a normal injury would but I'm good enough. I'm excited to be back. I'm ready to be back. Adrenaline does a lot of wonders for the body and I'm sure it's going to kick in even more in this series.

“So I'm happy to be back. I'm excited to be back. I'm going to play as hard as I can, knowing that, you know, there might not be a tomorrow, and my hand can put up with that. Just going to take one day at a time. It's not something that I think about on the field. So it's not going to affect my performance, I don't think.”

The goal is to have more games to play this weekend in New York. Maybe the Wild Card works in their favor by winning five of their last six games on the final trip and staying active after a brief pause.

“I think four days off is kind of a long time, especially after you played pretty much every day,” O’Hearn said. “So you know, to be able to have one day yesterday, came in, got a little bit of work and I think everybody is feeling sharp and ready to go. Yeah, we'll take that as an advantage.

“I think (going 5-1) was definitely important. You know, just to have that momentum going into the postseason, and I think guys are swinging the bat well, and if you can get as many guys in the left-handed pitcher as hot as possible going into the postseason, I think that's huge for us.”

The Orioles needed that final kick to finish .500 over the second half. They fell out of the division race, but O’Hearn never doubted that they’d make the playoffs and a run at Baltimore’s first championship since 1983.

“I think we kind of understood that it's a long season, and you go through ups and downs,” he said. “Probably more downs than we wanted in the second half. But you know, that's how it goes. I think you can't really dwell on the negative things. When you play so many things, you have to look forward to the next day. The reality is, any day you can snap out of the funk.

“You know, I think even at maybe our lowest point when we lost a few games in a row, and guys were getting hurt and all that was going on, I don't think we ever lost faith that we were going to make the playoffs. I think I just think we have too many talented guys and too much depth and guys that really wanted to compete and win together in that clubhouse to not make the playoffs.

"Yeah, definitely some tough stretches but I don't think our confidence ever really wavered down the stretch as far as making the playoffs.”

Manager Brandon Hyde maintained his calm demeanor in front of players during the worst periods. 

“He's very steady,” O’Hearn said. “Just we had a few meetings every now and then that was like, ‘Hey guys, we're not cutting it as a group. You know, we're better than the way we're playing right now.” I think he said all the right things. He came in and talked to us and had words of wisdom whenever things seemed bleak in the clubhouse and we were going through a losing stretch.

"Hyder is a great leader, great manager and everybody in that clubhouse wants to go out and play hard for him."

Colin Selby is in the bullpen for the Wild Card round after tossing four scoreless innings with one hit allowed in three appearances. Hyde acknowledged the concerns about tossing Selby into big postseason moments with his limited major league exposure, which included two games with the Royals.

“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “Everything, we factored everything in. We love his stuff. How he's going to react to a potential high-pressure moment, you know, we're not sure. But believe in the guy and like his stuff.”

The Orioles decided to let Albert Suárez cover six innings Sunday in Minnesota and keep him available for a possible Game 1 start in the Division Series.

“Everybody who wasn't put on is definitely in consideration for the next round,” Hyde said.

Left-hander Cade Povich turned a strong stretch of starts into a roster spot. The club’s confidence in him keeps building.

“We're lining up Game 2 and Game 3 kind of as we go, but Cade finished the season really well,” Hyde said. “Threw the ball great. Another great development story for us for the guy that doesn't have a ton of upper-level experience, to go into the big leagues this year and pitch, have his ups and downs, but learned from them. Finished the season extremely strong, threw great in Minnesota, up to 96 with good secondary stuff.

“Whether he's going to start one of these games or be in relief, he's a guy that can give us multiple, multiple innings out of the bullpen.”

Jackson Holliday made the Wild Card roster, as expected, and can serve in a reserve role. The lineup is set with Jordan Westburg at second base and Ramón Urías at third.

“I think that was a great development year, honestly,” Hyde said. “Yes, he had some ups and downs. I thought he finished the season really well. He did some minor swing adjustment things these past couple weeks of the season that I think is really going to help him spring forward in the next year.

But just the experience. The experience of, one, he's played in some high-intensity games, here especially at home. Played in tough environments, at 20 years old is on the roster. He's going to be a bench piece for us. And just to have this experience alone, is only going to benefit him, and we're excited to have him.

“He's obviously got a ton of tools. He's really fast. I'm able to use him in the starting but off the bench in a pinch run role, and also can defend in two spots and he's got some big hits for us off the bench. And he's only 20. It's been really impressive how he's handled everything.”