The narrative for some is how bad the Orioles are on offense. We saw them score one run in two playoff games.
Yes, it still hurts and probably will be that way for a while.
The challenge for the organization in how to improve the offense is that over the long sample of the last two full seasons, it’s been among the highest-scoring in the sport.
Combined runs scored, 2023 and 2024:
1,748 – LA Dodgers
1,651 – Atlanta
1,632 – Arizona
1,593 – Orioles
Here is the thing about baseball: It can indeed break your heart. And in a sport that takes six months to play 162 games and can seem never-ending, the actual playoff ending can take about 24 to 48 hours.
All those games, all those ups and downs, all those emotions, then it's over in a blink.
And a whimper for the Orioles scoring just one run.
Mike Elias indicated Thursday he doesn’t want to make any knee-jerk reactions to the season and that is prudent.
The fanbase, on the other hand, or segments of such, are providing us an overwhelming amount of knee-jerk reactions. Someone must pay for this!
When the Orioles swapped out pitchers late in the regular season to cover innings and allow manager Brandon Hyde to set up his bullpen for the postseason, they selected left-hander Tucker Davidson’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk, designated him for assignment a day later and recalled Colin Selby. When they set their Wild Card roster, they kept Selby and Cade Povich over Matt Bowman and Albert Suárez.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers didn’t get another chance with the Orioles.
He gets a fresh start next spring training. He needs it.
Rogers was optioned on Aug. 22, less than a month after the Orioles acquired him from the Marlins at the deadline for infielder Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers. He went 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA and 1.842 WHIP in four games and didn’t last more than five innings in any start.
Five appearances with Triple-A Norfolk produced a 5.65 ERA and 1.221 WHIP in 28 2/3 innings, but he strung together three quality starts in a row after allowing 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings in his Tides debut. It’s hard to bring down your numbers after that disaster.
When it comes to the Orioles offense, some of the judgements of it show recency bias, and that is understandable. As the team struggled late in the year the offensive performance and production dropped.
Fewer runs led to fewer wins, pretty easy to understand. In scoring just one run in two games in the playoffs, the offense that came up short often late in the year did so again, this time on the biggest stage.
For the full year, some of the O’s offensive numbers looked good. Those numbers include those from the first half, when the offense ranked second in team OPS and fourth in runs per game. But in the second half the offense ranked 11th in the major leagues in team OPS and seventh in runs per game.
The first-half OPS was .764 as the Orioles scored 4.94 runs per game. In the second half those numbers were .731 and 4.73.
From Aug. 1 on, when the Orioles went 26-27, they scored 4.4 runs per game (13th in runs) and the OPS was .702 (15th).
During the first day of the Orioles offseason, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde took numerous questions from reporters trying to assess what went wrong again for the Orioles with a quick out in the playoffs.
Elias spoke for over 30 minutes.
After a 91-71 regular season, and 192 wins, the second-most in the majors since the start of last year, the O’s went 0-2 this October after going 0-3 last year against Texas.
“The expectations, I think, for this season were different. We didn’t meet them,” said Elias. “We all feel that. And it has applied a different kind of pressure that is new for a lot of people in this building. The big leagues can do that to you.
“I am optimistic, bullish, I believe in this group going forward, but it’s not going to just happen automatically. We’re going to have to put in the right work this winter. Everyone is going to have to look internally. Self assess, self correct.”
The final game of a baseball season, and especially in the playoffs, can resemble a high school graduation. You sit next to someone in homeroom for four years and realize you probably won’t ever see each other again.
Paths are more likely to cross in sports, but the Orioles know that their spring training clubhouse won’t look the same. Players will be signed, promoted or acquired in trades. Others will be dealt, released or lost in free agency.
Anthony Santander is a free agent who’s been in the organization since December 2016 and coming off a season with a career-high 44 home runs and 102 RBIs. His. 814 OPS is the highest in a non-pandemic season. He made his first All-Star team. He’s played in 152, 153 and 155 games the past three seasons.
National media suddenly is beginning to notice.
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are the only players in the majors with more home runs. They know where they’ll be playing in 2025.
The ending can be abrupt and this one was. A season of big expectations for the Orioles ended with another quick out in the playoffs. This time they are done one round sooner than last year.
It all stings in the moment and will probably stay with many in the organization and fanbase for quite a while.
Ten straight postseason losses and swept in four consecutive series counting the one-game Wild Card in 2016. Not good.
In time some of the hurt will fade and fans will look forward to another promising season. For the Orioles, the window to win should be in the early stages of a multi-year run. This should not be their last crack at it.
Last year they gave up too many runs to Texas. This year they scored too few in 1-0 and 2-1 losses to Kansas City.
The Orioles have lost yet another close postseason game to the Kansas City Royals. Swept four straight in the 2014 American League Championship Series by six total runs, they lost a pair of one-run games to K.C. in this AL Wild Card round.
They lose 2-1 today and scored just one run in the series. The Royals advance to play the No. 1 seed Yankees in a series that begins on Saturday in the Bronx.
The Orioles are now 0-6 all-time in the playoffs versus the Royals by eight total runs.
After a 91-71 regular season and a second-place AL East finish, the season ends again in early October.
The O’s have lost 10 straight in the postseason.
The music didn't play. The reflections from the disco lights didn't bounce off the walls and ceiling. The Orioles sat in silence at their lockers or circled the room and hugged, failing to repeat as division champions and now mimicking last year’s morose elimination setting.
The losing streak in the playoffs has reached 10 games. Any chance to snap it must wait until 2025.
The Royals broke a tie in the sixth inning on Bobby Witt Jr.’s infield single with two outs that scored Kyle Isbel, and the Orioles lost 2-1 in a do-or-die Game 2 of the Wild Card series before an announced crowd of 38,698 at Camden Yards.
That’s it. Being all-in with the winter trade for Corbin Burnes and talking about avenging last year’s ouster in the Division Series in Texas led to another sweep. Too many injuries and too little offense.
And now, a lot of time to think about it.
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.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde took a temperature check of his team this morning. He walked in the clubhouse and the weight room. No one seemed to be sweating yesterday’s loss that pushed them to the brink of elimination in the Wild Card round.
“I think it's totally business as usual,” Hyde said.
“I think guys are in great spirits and ready to get after it today.”
They must or there’s no tomorrow.
“I have all the faith in the world in this team,” said Colton Cowser. “I think yesterday it was just one of those days. I think our guys, we're really confident, really comfortable, and we're looking forward to bouncing back.”
If the Orioles reach the Division Series, Game 1 would be played Saturday at 6:38 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Game 2 would be played Monday at 7:38 p.m.
They need to get there first, and a loss today destroys that goal.
Colton Cowser is the cleanup hitter this afternoon, Adley Rutschman is catching and Ryan O’Hearn is the designated hitter.
Zach Eflin pitched for the Rays in Kansas City on July 4 and allowed five earned runs and six total in five innings. He owns a 5.09 ERA in four career starts against them totaling 23 innings.
Eflin tossed a complete-game shutout against the Royals on May 11, 2019 with the Phillies.
After Orioles starting pitchers covered just eight innings in the 2023 American League Division Series versus Texas, O’s 2024 ace Corbin Burnes matched that innings total in one night.
He was that good.
But even giving up one run was too many on this night as the Orioles were held to five hits, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and were shutout 1-0 by Kansas City in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card round.
The Orioles had scored 22 runs in a three-game sweep at Minnesota and 56 runs with a team OPS of .797 in their last 10 regular season games.
But the O’s have now been blanked four times since Sept. 8 and that is a 20-game span.
It was the pitcher’s duel that many expected. It was a game where one run was scored and today the visitors got it.
The Orioles' playoff losing streak, dating to 2014, reached nine today as they lost 1-0 to Kansas City on Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single in the top of the sixth.
O’s starter Corbin Burnes, who allowed one run over eight innings plus, was outstanding today, just as he was late in the year.
But now the Orioles have to win two straight games to advance out of this Wild Card round.
Some quick thoughts on Game 1:
Corbin Burnes threw his last warmup pitch, stepped off the mound, turned his back to home plate and settled into a crouch before his catcher could do it. With his head lowered, he chose a crowded venue to hold a private moment.
Burnes finally stood, faced home plate and owned it again.
This is why the Orioles traded for him. To start on Opening Day and in Game 1 of a playoff series, in this instance the Wild Card round. To be that guy. But he can’t score runs for himself.
Bobby Witt Jr. singled with two outs in the sixth inning to produce the first lead of the day, and the Orioles were silenced by Cole Ragans and three relievers in a deflating 1-0 loss today before an announced crowd of 41,506 at Camden Yards.
The playoff losing streak has reached nine games dating back to the Royals’ sweep in the 2014 Championship Series. They need to win Wednesday afternoon with Zach Eflin starting or be shut down again.
In the postseason in two straight years for the first time since 1996 and 1997, the Orioles host the Kansas City Royals today in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card round.
It’s a best two-of-three series with the Orioles hosting two games and all three, if necessary.
For what it’s worth, since the 12-team MLB playoff format started with the 2022 postseason, all eight Wild Card round series have ended with 2-0 sweeps. There has yet to be a third and deciding game.
In 2022, Cleveland defeated Tampa Bay, Seattle beat Toronto, Philadelphia beat St. Louis and San Diego topped the New York Mets, all by 2-0.
There were four 2-0 sweeps last year for Minnesota over Toronto, Texas over Tampa Bay, Arizona over Milwaukee and Miami over Philadelphia.
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.”
The High-A Aberdeen IronBirds will operate under different ownership in 2025.
Cal Ripken Jr., 64. has sold his majority stake in the Orioles’ affiliate. However, the Hall of Famer and brother Bill, a former major league infielder and current MLB Network analyst, will remain part of the ownership group.
Attain Sports, led by minor league baseball operator and business leader Greg Baroni, is partnering with the Ripkens by acquiring controlling interest in IB Professional Holdings. The company also owns the Double-A Bowie Baysox and MLB Draft League Frederick Keys.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Attain Sports sent out a press release.
“Bill and I are proud of what we have been able to bring to our hometown,” Ripken said in a statement. “Since 2002, through the IronBirds and our Ripken Experience Aberdeen youth baseball complex, we have been able to provide wonderful experiences for baseball fans of all ages. At this stage of my life, I thought the timing was right to turn over the day-to-day management of the IronBirds to Greg. I am thrilled that we can partner with such well-respected operators like Greg and Attain Sports.”
Now that the Orioles survived a rocky second half, one where they needed to win their final three games to play .500 ball (33-33), manager Brandon Hyde hopes the team gains something from the adversity.
“I’m hoping it makes us tougher honestly,” Hyde said Monday at Camden Yards. “The adversity our guys went through this year, I hope it benefits us this postseason. I think it’s going to benefit guys in the future.
“I think last year’s (playoff) experience, of what that felt like at the end, when we did have that kind of fairytale season and a quick exit. I’m hoping these guys still have that taste in their mouth going into this postseason.”
According to at least one of the guys, the Orioles do.
They lost to the Rangers three straight in the American League Division Series last year by scores of 3-2, 11-8 and 7-1. A long successful season was followed by a quick out in the postseason.
The start of the 2023 postseason for the Orioles included the shocking news that John Means wouldn’t make the Division Series roster due to elbow soreness that followed his appearance in an intrasquad game at Camden Yards. The club didn’t share anything of that magnitude this morning, but the inclusion of Colin Selby in the bullpen came as a surprise.
Selby was chosen over Matt Bowman. Albert Suárez wasn’t going to make it after working six innings Sunday in Minnesota.
Explaining the Selby move, manager Brandon Hyde said, “We just felt Selby in a couple games he’s thrown for us showed really, really good stuff. And just from a matchup standpoint, wanted an extra right-hander in the bullpen. He’s got a 97 mph fastball and a really good slider, so we’re excited to add him.”
The Game 2 starter remains a mystery, and it appears that what happens later today might dictate the choice.
Where is Hyde on the Game 2 starter?
