Orioles' bats can't support Burnes in 1-0 loss in Game 1 of Wild Card series (updated)

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.

"It's win or go home," Burnes said. "I think this is a team that I'd be willing to run out there against anyone. Looking forward to going home, getting some sleep, come back tomorrow and watch those guys do their thing."

The Orioles lost a 1-0 playoff game for the third time in their history, after Game 3 of the 1974 Championship Series against Oakland and Game 6 of the 1997 ALCS against Cleveland.

“We've got to turn the page,” said manager Brandon Hyde. “Our backs are up against the wall and have to play well tomorrow."

Ragans lived up to his end of the anticipated duel with six scoreless innings, but he had to leave the game after 80 pitches with left calf cramps. He allowed four hits, walked none and struck out eight.  

The Orioles put runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, but Ragans struck out James McCann and Gunnar Henderson. Kris Bubic walked Henderson with two outs in the eighth and Jordan Westburg singled, but Anthony Santander grounded out against closer Lucas Erceg.

Pinch-hitter Ryan O'Hearn drew a leadoff walk against Erceg in the ninth to offer a last burst of hope that died with a strikeout, fly ball and pinch-hitter Heston Kjerstad's strikeout.

Burnes kept going, getting a double-play ball in the seventh and throwing five pitches in the eighth to put him at 83. Fans stood again to cheer him in the ninth after Maikel Garcia’s first-pitch leadoff single, only the fifth hit for the Royals.

They also wondered if one run allowed would ruin the day.

No Orioles starter threw a pitch in the ninth inning in the postseason since Scott McGregor clinched the 1983 World Series with a complete-game shutout in Philadelphia.

"That was incredible," McCann said. "He threw the ball extremely well. To do that in the first game of the playoffs was huge. You've got to tip your cap to Corbin. He did a heck of a job."

Burnes retired 15 of the first 17 batters, the only damage a couple of singles, before walking Garcia with one out in the sixth. Garcia stole second base, advanced on a ground ball and scored when Witt lined a first-pitch cutter into left field.

"The walk hurt, the walk cost us the game," Burnes said. "I attack him a little better and don't walk him, we get through there and it's a 0-0 ballgame and we've got a chance. Unfortunately, the one big swing today from Bobby was the deciding factor in that game."

Vinnie Pasquantino, reinstated from the injured list after missing a month with a fractured thumb, stood on deck with first base open. The Orioles pitched to Witt, the likely runner-up to Aaron Judge for Most Valuable Player in the American League.

“I'm letting Corbin Burnes, the way he's throwing the baseball right there, determine who he wants to go get," Hyde said.

"We were going at him," Burnes said. "We did a good job the first two ABs against him. Pounded that cutter down and away, he took some pretty bad swings on it, weak contact. It was a pretty good pitch. Again, he didn't hit it very hard, just found a hole and that was the difference in the game."

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said he wasn’t surprised that the Orioles refused to pitch around Witt.

“I mean, that guy was incredible today,” he said of Burnes. “He's got incredible stuff. He locates. You know, that's your best pitcher and our best hitter. That's why you play this game, right?”

McCann threw out Witt trying to steal, but Ragans came back out and retired the side in order. His removal didn’t make sense until the media was informed of the lower-leg discomfort.

"I felt it grabbing a little bit," Ragans said. "I didn't want to push it too far. I want to be healthy. I plan on having quite a few more starts. So I just didn't want to push it to where it ends up, you know, being something more serious than it needs to be."

"Actually that's the first I've heard that that's what took him out of the game, but he threw the ball extremely well," McCann said. "He made pitches when he needed to. We had opportunities. Myself, had an opportunity, and you've got to tip your cap to him. He threw the ball really well, he made his pitches when he needed to. Both him and Corbes did a heck of a job of keeping the opposing lineups down today."

The Orioles carried some momentum into Game 1 by winning five of their last six, but they also claimed only two of their last 11 home series after July 1. The club has offered multiple versions of itself in 2014.

Burnes changed in August but retooled his cutter and returned to ace form.

His first inning today consisted of nine pitches, all strikes, and Michael Massey’s soft leadoff single that didn’t hurt him. Third baseman Ramón Urías snared Salvador Perez’s 107.1 mph, bad-intention ground ball with two outs and fired to second base for the force. Burnes pounded his fist in his glove multiple times on his walk back to the dugout.

Twelve consecutive batters were retired before Yuli Gurriel led off the fifth with a single. Burnes was averaging 10 pitches per inning through the fourth.

“That was a heck of a pitched game by both sides, and Burnesy going into the ninth inning only allowed one run, so he pitched,” Hyde said. “He did his part. Pitched absolutely fantastic. Showed me all year what kind of pitcher he is, and he even stepped up in this game even more today.”

Normal rest didn’t make him ordinary. Burnes was shortened to five innings and 69 pitches in New York for his occasion.

"He was super locked in, super focused," said Cedric Mullins. "In one of those spaces where you're not going to interrupt that in any way. He did an amazing job out there and kept us in it. It's frustrating to not come through for him. I think that's the most frustrating part about it."

MJ Melendez followed Gurriel’s single by lining into a double play, with first baseman Ryan Mountcastle flashing his reflexes to catch the ball on his knees at the bag. A crowd that needed scoreboard prompting to get loud did so on its own.

Mullins went hitless in 12 at-bats in last year’s Division Series after a second trip to the injured list with an adductor/groin strain. He doubled off the out-of-town scoreboard today leading off the third inning, on his 30^th birthday, but Ragans stranded him with a huge assist from the redesigned left field.

Westburg’s fly ball reached the back of the warning track at 378 feet, a home run in 28 of 30 ballparks per Statcast. Easily a two-run shot here prior to the wall moving back in 2022.

The bat flew out of Ramón Urías hands on a fly ball to left-center field in the fifth that Melendez overran for a gift double. Mullins singled into center field, with Urías held at third base, but McCann struck out on three pitches and Henderson on five.

"That's when you rely on your teammates to pick you up," Mullins said. "Today it doesn't happen but I have full confidence in our guys for sure to come back tomorrow with a fresh mindset and go after it."

The opportunities were there for the Orioles, who went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven. So was Burnes, but he could only do so much.

"That's baseball," said Burnes, whose eight-plus innings are a season high. "Postseason usually is won with one big swing. Today was only one swing in a tie game that meant anything. We've got to come out and regroup and face another arm tomorrow (Seth Lugo), so looking forward to it. Fans were there, fans were excited, so we've got to come out and play again tomorrow."

"It's tough," McCann said. "Three-game series, anything can happen. Our backs are against the wall but we've been here before in a series, been down after the first game, and we've got to find a way to win two now."

Former Oriole Steve Pearce will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Wednesday. The Orioles hope to keep their arrangements for Game 3 and head to New York for the Division Series.

“I think everybody understands the position we're in, and we need to win tomorrow," Hyde said. "I don't think it's a team meeting rally cry. I think everybody fully understands what the situation is.”

“We have an opportunity to right the ship tomorrow,” Eflin said, “and we are going to show up prepared and be ready to go.”

"It's win or go home," Henderson said, "so just go out there and play that way, just scratch and claw and try to get as many runs as you can across."