BALTIMORE—What happened? After six months and 162 games, the Orioles’ season could be over on Wednesday. Corbin Burnes, who was voted American League Pitcher of the Month for September, pitched exceptionally well, but the Orioles didn’t score in 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series Tuesday at Camden Yards.
Zach Eflin will start Game 2 for the Orioles against Seth Lugo, and in order to advance to the Division Series to face the New York Yankees, the Orioles will have to win on Wednesday and Thursday.
The loss was the Orioles’ ninth straight in postseason play and reminded fans of the three-game sweep by the Texas Rangers last season.
Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single off Burnes in the sixth inning drove in Maikel Garcia with the game’s only run.
Cole Ragans pitched six shutout innings, giving up four hits, striking out eight without walking a batter. Sam Long, Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg pitched three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit.
“We didn’t have many opportunities because Ragans was really good, and then the opening guys did a nice job,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We had a couple punch-outs there, first and third. That hurt. You’ve got to give them credit. I thought their pitchers were absolutely fantastic, and Ragans is really hard to hit and the bullpen guys that came in after, they were really tough on us.”
The Orioles had just five hits, went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base.
How disappointing was the offense? The Orioles had just one extra-base hit, a double by Ramón Urías in the fifth inning. Cedric Mullins blooped a single to center, and Urías held at third. James McCann and Gunnar Henderson struck out, and the Orioles never got a runner past second again.
“We created opportunities,” Mullins said. “We couldn’t take advantage of them. Corbin did a really good job out there to keep it exactly where it was.”
Henderson played well in September and the team won five of six in the last week of the season.
“Everybody knows it’s a fresh slate of games” Henderson said. “The regular season doesn’t matter at this point. It’s anybody’s games. You’ve just got to go out there and continue to play, play hard, play loose, but just know it’s a scratch and claw mentality.”
Should the Orioles have walked Witt? The Royals’ only run came in the sixth when Garcia walked, stole second, moved to third on an infield out by Michael Massey and scored on Witt’s single between short and third on a pitch that Burnes threw over the middle of the plate.
Hyde decided not to walk Witt intentionally to face Vinnie Pasquantino, who was playing in his first game since August 29th when he fractured his right thumb.
Burnes hasn’t intentionally walked a batter all season, and the Orioles have issued only nine intentional walks.
“I’m letting Corbin Burnes, the way he’s throwing the baseball right there, determine who he wants to go get,” Hyde said.
How well did Burnes pitch? In five September starts, Burnes had a 1.20 ERA. He was removed after Garcia singled to start the ninth. Garcia, the No. 9 hitter, scored the only run after the leadoff walk in the sixth.
“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, a 0-0 ballgame, and we’ve got a chance. Unfortunately, the one big swing from Bobby was the deciding factor in the game.”
Burnes retired Witt in his first two at-bats, and thought he’d do the same in his third at-bat.
“We were going at him,” Burnes said. “We did a good job the first two [at-bats] against him, padded him with that cutter down and away, took some pretty bad swings on it, weak contact. It was a pretty good pitch, didn’t hit very hard, just found a hole. That was the difference in the game.”
He pitched brilliantly in his third postseason start and knows how quickly series can turn.
“The postseason usually is won with one big swing,” Burnes said. “Today, it was only at the time that meant anything.”
James McCann caught Burnes in 15 of his 32 regular-season starts, and with Ragans, a left-hander, starting against the Orioles, did it again.
“That was incredible,” McCann said. “He threw the ball extremely well.”
No Oriole starter pitched into the ninth inning this season, and Burnes’ postseason start was the Orioles’ longest since Scott McGregor threw a shutout in Game 5 of the 1983 World Series.
How does Eflin feel about such an important game? Hyde didn’t announce Eflin was the Game 2 starter until after Game 1.
“You look at it as an opportunity,” Eflin said. “We have an opportunity to right the ship tomorrow and we are going to show up prepared and be ready to go.”
Eflin said he didn’t know for certain that he was starting Game 2, though it seemed obvious that he was.
“I was aware of a couple different circumstances but just found out here recently. So looking forward to it. It’s an amazing opportunity, and you know, looking forward to having a lot of fun with the guys tomorrow.”
Eflin, who came to the Orioles from Tampa Bay on July 26th, was 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA in nine starts.
“Feels like since at least the time I’ve been here, any corner we’ve been backed into, we’ve come out on the right side of things,” he said. “You know, as much as it hurts to lose the first game, we still have two more opportunities to win the series and continue on. There’s nobody hanging their head or anything. We are looking forward to tomorrow.”
Why do the Orioles think they can come back? In the first two years of the best two-of-three Wild Card Series, the winner of Game 1 has won the series eight times.
“It’s tough,” McCann said. “Three-game series, anything can happen,” McCann said. “Our backs are against the wall. We’ve been here before in a series. We’ve been down after a first game. We have to find a way to win two now.”
Burnes will have to watch and hope for two wins to send the Orioles to the Division Series.
“It’s win or go home,” he 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 … and watch these guys do their thing.”
Mullins is one of many Orioles who was part of the three-game sweep by Texas in last year’s Division Series. He badly wants the season to continue.
“You rely on your teammates to pick you up,” Mullins said. “Today it doesn’t happen. I have full confidence in our guys to come back tomorrow with a fresh mindset and get after it.”
Henderson was hitless in three at-bats and had an eighth inning walk.
“You can’t sit there and sulk on a loss today,” Henderson said. “It happens, but you’ve got to go out there and play your butt off. Play as hard as you can, and I feel that’s what we’re all going to do.”
Adley Rutschman was the designated hitter for the first eight innings while McCann caught. After McCann was pinch-hit for in the eighth, Rutschman caught the ninth inning.
“We’ve got to show up and play our game,” Rutschman said. “Our process has been the same all year and our guys have to show up ready to go tomorrow.”
What does it mean? It’s obvious the Orioles need a win on Wednesday not only to keep their season alive, but to avoid being tagged as a good regular-season team that can’t deliver in the postseason.
What’s the word? “I think everybody understands the position we’re in, and we need to win tomorrow. I don’t think it’s a team meeting rally cry. I think everybody fully understands what the situation is.’-Hyde on Orioles’ position for Game 2.
What’s the stat of the day? 9. The Orioles have lost nine straight postseason games. They haven’t won one since Game 3 of the Division Series against Detroit in 2014.
What’s next? Eflin will face Seth Lugo in Game 2 on Wednesday at 4:38 p.m.