O’s Postseason Hot Takes: Battery Edition

Written by:

Zachary Bucklew

The Orioles’ postseason sprint is a few days away, and our crew has decided to give their opinions out there in recent publications.

The Baltimore Battery staff has put together one Orioles hot take per person that corresponds with the postseason run. You might want to hold on tight because some of these get scorching hot.

Without further ado, here is each writer’s hot take for the O’s postseason.

Zack Bucklew:

We remember that in 2014, Madison Bumgarner was an absolute beast for the World-Series-winning San Francisco Giants. He pitched a total of 53.2 innings in 2014 postseason and was handed the ball to shut down game seven of the World Series. Kyle Bradish is someone who can be extremely trusted in that situation, especially after the second half he had. Bradish is someone who, with decent rest, could give you four to five clean innings in a possible win or go home game. My hot take is that Kyle Bradish will have a postseason similar to that of Madison Bumgarner in 2014.

Stephen Heckman:

My hot take is that the Orioles will lose a total of two games on their way to their first World Series appearance since 1983. Led by veteran John Means, the pitching staff will shut down opposing teams, leading to the top pitching staff in the 2023 postseason.

Justin Sutphin:

I think Jorge Mateo will be a huge x-factor in the ALDS against the Texas Rangers. Mateo is 10-for-38 with four home runs against the Rangers in his career. Also, the ultimate reason he is on the roster is for his speed. Speed like his, if he is able to get on base or is put in as a pinch runner, can seriously sway a game. Especially in a best-of-five series where every single moment is amplified.

Lauren Brock:

The O’s pitching staff all around needs to step it up even more than we’ve seen as of late. We have greatly improved our starting pitching going late into the season, but the matchups we will see could be on a different level. Keep the runs low and the strikeouts higher because the batters we will face will be a problem.

RJ Diliberto:

Heston Kjerstad’s base stats may not show it, but he’s got every bit as much power as advertised, and he’s due. I think he leaves the yard in the ALDS, perhaps more than once.

Jason Benowitz:

Since we are asking for a hot take, which I usually don’t dabble in, why not go all out? Colton Cowser will get a playoff at-bat in 2023. I hope nobody gets injured or has a cold streak, but if either happens, one of the hottest bats exiting the regular season was the Triple-A Championship MVP, Colton Cowser. This hot take is brought to you by the biggest Colton Cowser guy.

What is your hot take for the O’s postseason run? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!

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