The regular season has ended, and what a wild ride it has been.
For the Baltimore Orioles, it was a roller coaster that tested the boundaries of the team and all of Birdland.
In the end, the Orioles were able to capture the top AL Wild Card spot and win 90+ games for the first time in back-to-back seasons since the 1982 and 1983 seasons. Ironically, 1983 was also the last appearance and World Series Championship in franchise history.
The Orioles have a strong offense that found itself in the top five in most offensive categories such as OPS (.750), home runs (235), RBIs (759), runs (786), triples (33), at-bats (5,567) and slugging percentage (.435).
The offense had nine players hit 11 or more home runs, with six of those players hitting 18 or more. Led by Anthony Santander’s team-high 44 long balls, the lineup is as explosive at the top as it is at the bottom, which is why the Birds were one of the top scoring teams in the league.
Securing the No. 4 seed, the Orioles (91-71) will host the No. 5 seed Kanas City Royals (86-76) in what is a rematch of the 2014 American League Championship Series.
The Royals began the O’s current postseason losing streak of eight straight games after they swept the Birds in 2014. Between that and being swept from the playoffs last season, the Birds will be looking to right the ship and seek a bit of revenge.
To help jump-start the team for the postseason, the Orioles will turn to staff ace and AL Pitcher of the Month for September, Corbin Burnes (15-9, 2.92 ERA).
Burnes has appeared in eight postseason games (two starts) in his career, compiling a 1-1 record across 19 innings with a 2.84 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP.
The Orioles have not announced a game two starter, nor one for game three if needed.
Kanas City will open the series with Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA). He will be followed by Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00 ERA) and Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA) to close the series.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
This is the postseason, and the atmosphere surrounding October baseball and regular season baseball is drastically different.
The Orioles entered last season’s playoffs with no experience and were caught like a deer in the headlights. They were unprepared for the big stage, and it struck them quicker than they could respond.
With the Birds’ current playoff losing streak and many players still around from last postseason, the BATTERY ❌-FACTOR can only lean to one person: Manager Brandon Hyde.
The reason this falls on Hyde is due to the fact that this is his second postseason at the helm, but also, the Birds’ inconsistent play over the second half of the season.
Hyde has done a good job in helping lead the Birds, though some of his decisions have been a direct cause of his inability to pull the trigger or continue patience.
The playoffs are already under a microscope, and there is little room for error or mistakes. A poor showing and bad decisions or game plans could be the difference between the Birds playing in the second round or packing up for a vacation.
Either way, Hyde will have the largest microscope on him for the series, and it could be one that could decide his future with the organization.
GAME 1 STARTING LINEUP
Game one will begin Tuesday at 4:08 p.m. EST. Game two has an estimated start time of 4:38 p.m. EST, and if a game three is necessary, that will start at 4:08 p.m. EST as well.
Tuesday’s game will be aired on ESPN2, with game two and, if necessary, game three being aired on ESPN.
Will the Orioles be able to end their playoff losing streak and move past the first round, or will the Royals play spoiler and ruin home field advantage for the Birds?
Birdland, are you ready to make some noise?
How do you see this Wild Card round playing out? 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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