For the Baltimore Orioles, it was a tale of two stories. Ace Corbin Burnes went eight innings, giving up just five hits and one run in the sixth. However, his teammates offered little support, managing only five hits themselves and failing to trouble the Royals, who needed just one run.
Now, the Orioles have their backs to the wall and are searching for answers to their offensive problems as they face the Kansas City Royals in Game 2. Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle, and Adley Rutschman struggled significantly, going just 1-for-18 against the Royals’ pitching.
While Cole Ragans puzzled the Orioles, they also hurt their chances by missing two big opportunities to score early in the game. Catcher James McCann struck out in key moments: first in the third inning with a runner on second and no outs, and then in the fifth with runners on the corners and one out.
Orioles and Royals Game 2 Info
The Orioles enter Game 2 against the Royals having lost their last nine postseason games. On Wednesday, the probable starters are Zach Eflin (10-9, 3.59 ERA) for the Orioles and Seth Lugo (16-9, 3.00 ERA) for the Royals.
On paper, Lugo is a superior pitcher to Eflin, and the O’s will need some magic from their main hitters to save their season.
“It’s all hands on deck,” O’s first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn stated after the loss. “Whatever we can do to win a baseball game tomorrow and live another day.”