BALTIMORE — The grind of 162 common season video games is now within the rear view for the Orioles. The solely quantity meaning something at this level is the quantity two. It will take two extra wins to advance within the playoffs.
The O’s and Royals start their best-of-three American League wild card collection on Tuesday at 4:08 p.m. at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore is the No. 4 seed within the AL. Kansas City is seeded fifth.
The Birds come into the postseason winners of 5 of their previous six video games and more healthy than most of the tough second half of their season.
“I’m hoping it makes us more durable, truthfully. I feel that the adversity that our guys went via this yr, I hope it advantages us this postseason,” stated supervisor Brandon Hyde earlier than the Orioles’ Monday afternoon exercise at Camden Yards.
With their well being in addition they now convey playoff expertise. After incomes the No. 1 seed final yr and being swept out of the division spherical by the Texas Rangers, the O’s suppose they’re now extra outfitted for October baseball.
“I feel final yr’s expertise of what that felt like on the finish, once we did have that sort of fairy story season after which the fast exit, I’m hoping that these guys still have that style of their mouth going into this postseason. I feel they do,” stated Hyde.
“[We] positively realized on some of the dangerous experiences that we had final yr and the postseason,” added shortstop Gunnar Henderson. “We type of used it to gas us this yr and provides us the kick that we have to push via and hopefully make run this yr.”
The run begins with O’s ace Corbin Burnes on the mound for sport one.
“Postseason baseball is a distinct monster,” stated Burnes. “We’re right here. We’re in October. It’s time to go. So, we acquired to come back out and we acquired to play good baseball.”
Tuesday’s sport one will likely be important. Since Major League Baseball expanded the playoff format in 2022, seven out of the eight wild card collection have been sweeps.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
