BALTIMORE—It’s been nine years since Orioles fans had a postseason game to cheer about. They just wished they had more to cheer about.
The Orioles had just five hits and didn’t convert on a key eighth-inning opportunity and lost the first game of the Best-of-five Division Series to the Texas Rangers 3-2 before a packed house of 46,450 at Camden Yards on Saturday.
The fans waited a 73-minute delay and they saw Orioles pitchers strike out 15 batters, but the offense just didn’t produce against six Rangers pitchers.
Kyle Bradish allowed two baserunners in the first three innings, a one-out double to Robbie Grossman in the first and a leadoff walk to Evan Carter in second. Bradish struck out five in his first two innings.
In the fourth, Bradish gave up two runs on five hits and left the bases loaded. During a stretch of six of eight starts in August and September, Bradish had outings of six or seven innings with similar or better stats.
Adolis Garcia and Even Carter hit back-to-back doubles, and Jonah Heim’s single scored Carter for a 2-0 lead. Texas loaded the bases on a one-out single by Nathaniel Lowe and a two-out single by Leody Taveras. Bradish struck out Marcus Semien to end the inning.
Bradish (0-1) was removed after Corey Seager singled and Grossman and Garcia struck out. Danny Coulombe walked Carter and Heim hit into a force out to end the fifth.
In 4 2/3 innings, Bradish allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out nine and walking one.
Texas manager Bruce Bochy waited until Friday night to decide on a starter, and he removed the left-handed Andrew Heaney for Dane Dunning (1-0) with two outs in the fourth.
Anthony Santander’s two-out single in the first was the only Orioles’ baserunner in the first three innings.
Santander walked with one out in the fourth and scored on Ryan Mountcastle’s double. After Gunnar Henderson popped to short, Dunning replaced Heaney and walked Aaron Hicks. Pinch hitter Adam Frazier popped to first, ending the fourth.
With one out in the sixth, Hyde brought in Jacob Webb and Josh Jung homered for a 3-1 lead.
Santander homered with one out in the sixth against Dunning to cut the lead to 3-2.
Hicks walked to begin the seventh against Josh Sborz, but the Orioles didn’t score. Ryan O’Hearn hit for Ramón Urías, but he was called out looking. O’Hearn ended the regular season hitless in 23 at-bats.
Austin Hays, who made a brilliant play in left on Jonah Heim’s liner to end the seventh, walked against Aroldis Chapman to begin the bottom of the eighth. He moved to second on a wild pitch. Adley Rutschman walked, and then Santander hit into a double play. Mountcastle struck out to end the eighth.
Henderson led off the ninth with a single to right against José Leclerc but was out trying to steal second. Hicks struck out and Frazier grounded out softly to third to end the game.
Notes: Santander’s home run was the 100th in Orioles’ postseason history. …Game 2 pitchers are Grayson Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery. Game time in 4:07 p.m. It will be shown on FoxSports1.