With the Orioles falling 3-2 to the Texas Rangers in the opener of the American League Division Series on Saturday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The offense managing five hits and going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position against the back of the Texas rotation and a maligned bullpen simply won’t cut it. The Orioles scored 32 runs over their final 11 games of the regular season and were mostly punchless after their five-day respite.
2. Brandon Hyde labeled Gunnar Henderson’s ninth-inning caught stealing “a little miscommunication” and the rookie apparently thought a sign was on, making it difficult to tell what happened. A peek toward the plate often indicates a hit-and-run, but Aaron Hicks didn’t swing. Regardless of who’s at fault, the mistake was costly.
3. Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle drove in the only runs, but they squandered the biggest scoring opportunity of the game in the eighth inning with a 5-4-3 double play and a strikeout respectively. That sucked the air out of a crowd that was really coming alive again after back-to-back walks.
4. Baltimore pitching struck out 16 batters, the most in a nine-inning postseason game in franchise history. Kyle Bradish struck out nine and was outstanding early before running into trouble in a two-run, five-hit fourth inning. Most would have signed up for three runs allowed to that lineup before the game.
5. I thought Hyde might try to squeeze a little more out of Bradish after he struck out Robbie Grossman and Adolis Garcia in the fifth, but that left-handed pocket in the Texas lineup had given him trouble in the fourth, prompting the call to Danny Coulombe. Not a big deal.
6. That said, seeing how aggressively Hyde used bullpen matchups made me wonder if the Orioles would have been better served going with a 13th pitcher on the roster rather than 14 position players. What other pitcher would you have trusted in this enviornment, however? Perhaps Cole Irvin?
7. The decision I disliked was inserting Adam Frazier for Jordan Westburg in the fourth inning. It wasn’t surprising considering the platoon employed down the stretch, but such urgency to play the veteran who posted a .605 OPS over the season’s final two months is perplexing. Westburg is also better defensively.
8. DL Hall and Tyler Wells combining to strike out five in 2 2/3 hitless innings was an encouraging sign for a bullpen needing more swing-and-miss ability if the Orioles are to make a deep run. The former was excellent over the final two weeks of the regular season too.
9. A loss of this nature would have garnered little more than a shoulder shrug even a couple weeks ago, but everything is magnified in a best-of-five series. The pressure is now on Grayson Rodriguez to pitch well and get deep into the game after Hyde used five relievers on Saturday.
10. Austin Hays offered the proper postgame perspective in saying, “We’ve got one game tomorrow. Come out, we get a win, and then we’re right back in the series, and it’s one game to one — we’re right where we want to be.” That’s been the Orioles’ mindset all season.
11. The John Means news is disappointing, and you have to wonder whether Hyde’s optimism about his return for the AL Championship Series is more wishful thinking than serious expectation. Means was pitching very well in his return from Tommy John surgery, but you don’t want to push him too hard.
12. I hope to see Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray get their opportunity to throw out ceremonial first pitches this month, but Adam Jones was the right choice for a raucous Camden Yards. It was a football-like crowd early on, but the struggling offense subdued that energy as the game progressed.
