O's game blog: Zach Eflin takes the mound in must-win scenario for O's

Facing a win or go home, the season's over scenario, the Orioles host the Kansas City Royals today in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card round series at Oriole Park. 

There were just 10 hits yesterday as Kansas City pushed across a sixth-inning run to beat the Orioles 1-0, who now have a nine-game postseason losing streak.

Bobby Witt Jr. singled in the only run as Kansas City moved to within one win of advancing to the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees.

The Orioles, who scored 22 runs in sweeping Minnesota over the weekend and 56 runs in their last 10 regular-season games, were shut out. It was their fourth shutout over the last 20 games since Sept. 8.

O's right-hander Corbin Burnes went eight-innings plus one batter allowing five hits and one run on 84 pitches. Burnes, who has never thrown a complete game came close yesterday. His career-long outing was 8 1/3 innings on July 18, 2021 for Milwaukee at Cincinnati.

The Orioles lost 1-0 in a playoff game for the third time in team history, joining Game 6 of the 1997 AL Championship Series versus Cleveland on Oct. 15 and Game 3 of the 1974 ALCS against Oakland on Oct. 8.

No Oriole completed eight innings during the 2024 regular season and Burnes became the first MLB starter to throw a pitch in the ninth inning of a playoff game since Washington’s Stephen Strasburg in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series on Oct. 29 at Houston. He is the first Oriole to do so in the postseason since Scott McGregor clinched the 1983 World Series with a complete game shutout in Game 5 on Oct. 16 at Philadelphia.

The Orioles are now 0-5 in the playoffs versus Kansas City, dating to the 2014 ALCS. They lost those games by two, two, one, one and one run. So five losses by seven total runs.

Righty Zach Eflin will try to help save the O's season today. He is 10-9 with a 3.59 ERA this year over 28 starts. He is 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA in his nine O's starts. He has seven quality starts and the club is 7-2 in those games.

In 11 second-half starts, Eflin is 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 1.197 ERA.

Eflin has one start this year against Kansas City and that was for Tampa Bay. On July 4 he allowed seven hits and six runs (five earned) over five innings.

Righy Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00 ERA) starts for K.C. In 20 first-half starts he had an ERA of 2.48 and it is 3.84 in 13 second-half starts. In 16 road games, he is 9-3 with a 2.62 ERA.

Lugo pitched just two innings, scoreless frames, on Saturday in Atlanta in a tune-up for this game. Over his past six starts, Lugo is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and .556 OPS against. 

Tides honored: Minor League Baseball announced Triple-A All-Stars for the International League and Pacific Coast League today. Coby Mayo was named International League Top MLB Prospect and was named an All-Star along with teammates Connor Norby, Heston Kjerstad, Brandon Young, and Cade Povich. The five postseason All-Star selections set the single-season franchise record, topping the four selected in 1975 when Norfolk was a Mets affiliate. Mayo is the first player named top MLB prospect in the IL since Gunnar Henderson in 2022.