Postseason FAQ: What's next for the Orioles?
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NEW YORK -- It isn’t easy to make it to the postseason. It’s even more challenging to do it multiple years in a row. Ask the Orioles, who haven’t made consecutive appearances since the 1996 and ‘97 seasons.
Until now.
The O’s have punched a ticket to October for the second straight year, having secured their spot in the postseason on Tuesday night. Consecutive playoff appearances have been rare for Baltimore, which had only previously accomplished the feat from 1996-97, ‘73-74 and ‘69-71.
“It’s awesome, man. This is what you play for -- a chance to be in the postseason, where anything can happen,” first baseman Ryan O'Hearn said.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into the Orioles’ 2024 postseason run.
What’s left to play for?
It would take a miraculous comeback for the O’s to win a second straight American League East title. They would need to win each of their final five games (two vs. the Yankees, three vs. the Twins) and have the Yanks lose each of their final five (two vs. the Orioles, three vs. the Pirates).
So Baltimore will likely be an AL Wild Card team, and it should be the No. 4 seed. But it needs to stave off Kansas City, Detroit and Minnesota to ensure it will be the top Wild Card team, meaning it would get to host a best-of-three Wild Card Series from Oct. 1-3 at Camden Yards.
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When does the postseason start?
All four best-of-three Wild Card Series will occur from Oct. 1-3.
Who are the Orioles going to face?
The O’s will likely play one of the three AL Central teams in the Wild Card mix -- the Royals, Tigers or Twins -- in the Wild Card Series. That trio continues to jockey for position, and assuming Baltimore holds on to the No. 4 seed, it will host either Kansas City, Detroit or Minnesota (whichever ends up at No. 5).
What could the postseason roster look like?
Rosters revert to 26 players for the postseason, with a maximum of 13 pitchers. They are due the morning of Game 1 in each round, which would be Oct. 1 for the Wild Card Series and Oct. 5 for the Division Series.
C: Adley Rutschman, James McCann
1B: Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O'Hearn
2B: Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday
SS: Gunnar Henderson
3B: Ramón Urías
LF: Colton Cowser, Austin Slater
CF: Cedric Mullins
RF: Anthony Santander, Heston Kjerstad
SP: Corbin Burnes, Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Albert Suárez
RP: Seranthony Domínguez, Yennier Cano, Danny Coulombe, Jacob Webb, Cionel Pérez, Keegan Akin, Matt Bowman, Gregory Soto, Bryan Baker
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Which injured players will return in time for the postseason?
Since Sept. 15, the Orioles have gotten back Webb and Coulombe in their bullpen, Kjerstad in the outfield and Westburg, Urías and Mountcastle in the infield. However, the news was not as positive regarding right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (right lat/teres strain), who was shut down during the final week of September and will not pitch again until 2025.
Rodriguez was throwing routine bullpen sessions, but the 24-year-old never advanced to the point of facing hitters. Manager Brandon Hyde said there wasn’t enough time for Rodriguez to return for the postseason.
It is unclear whether right-handed reliever Burch Smith (right adductor groin strain) is a candidate to return in October.
What will be some of the toughest roster decisions?
The Orioles will need to decide who gets the final spot in their bullpen. Baker and left-hander Cade Povich should be the favorites, though lefty Trevor Rogers could also be a candidate. Povich has been in Baltimore’s rotation in September, but the O’s won’t need more than three or four starters in the postseason.
The final bench spot should go to Kjerstad, which would push off infielder Emmanuel Rivera. But if the Orioles want an extra right-handed hitter, they could leave off Kjerstad in favor of Rivera or infield prospect Coby Mayo.
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What is the Orioles’ recent postseason history?
In 2023, Baltimore won the AL East championship -- capturing its first division title since ‘14 and making its first postseason appearance since ‘16 -- then got swept in three games by eventual World Series champion Texas in the AL Division Series. It was a disappointing showing for the O’s, who had gone 101-61 in the regular season.
The Orioles have lost eight consecutive postseason games, with their most recent win coming when they swept the Tigers, 3-0, in the 2014 ALDS.