The game — and a Saturday night playoff clinch — were in their reach.
A year ago — and even in the first half of this season — the Orioles established themselves as the comeback kids. No matter what happened in the beginning of the game, they were bound to find a way to win it as they led MLB with 48 comeback wins in 2023.
But, in the second half of this season, that spark has eluded them as they’ve played below-.500 baseball. And, even though they fought back Saturday, it wasn’t enough as the Tigers won 6-4 in 10 innings.
“I just think it felt like the stakes were high and two teams really fighting to get into the postseason,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Unfortunately, we just didn’t finish it. We had a great rally there in the ninth inning. We battle back a couple times throughout the game. We had first and third there in the 10th too, just didn’t quite get it done.”
The Orioles, who would have secured a playoff spot with a win and a Mariners loss, will instead have to wait another day to try to get into the postseason. A win in Sunday’s season finale and a Mariners loss Saturday or Sunday would do the trick.
Baltimore had opportunities all game, but an aggressive send, a misplay from Jackson Holliday and a poor performance from Yennier Cano made the difference.
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After Cade Povich allowed two runs in the second — the only runs he gave up in five innings — the Orioles got one back with a sacrifice fly from Emmanuel Rivera.
In the fourth inning, they had Adley Rutschman on second and Ryan O’Hearn on first after they hit back-to-back singles. Heston Kjerstad followed with a line drive to left field, and Rutschman was sent home even though Tigers outfielder Riley Greene fielded the ball before Rutschman, who ranks in the 29th percentile in sprint speed, even hit third. Rutschman was tagged out at home, the inning ending a batter later without the Orioles scoring.
“We’re not scoring a ton of runs and I don’t think he had the best read at second base, and then I think Manso [third base coach Tony Mansolino] was just being aggressive there trying to score runs,” Hyde said.
Baltimore tied the score in the sixth off a Rivera RBI single, and the game would remain tied through the seventh.
But, with Cionel Pérez on the mound, Matt Vierling and Greene had base hits to get runners on first and second with no outs in the eighth. Jake Rogers hit a ground ball up the middle toward Holliday, who couldn’t make the play on the hop. Vierling and Greene scored to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.
Holliday, who is playing second base daily for the first time in his career, should have at least gotten in front of the ball and knocked it down, which would have kept the ball in the infield and likely held Vierling at third.
There’s no way to know how the rest of the inning, or the game, would have gone if Holliday had done that, but it would have given the Orioles a better chance. They had to burn through Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto to get out of the inning.
“It just looked like it was a hard hit and maybe fooled him a little bit,” Hyde said. “A step or two to his right and backhanded maybe, I’m not really sure. But I don’t think that was an easy play. It was coming in between hop and a hard-hit ball.”
Baltimore sent it to extras after Gunnar Henderson doubled to bring in two runs, but the rally stopped there. Cano was used against a left-handed-heavy pocket of the lineup because the Orioles had only Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb left in their bullpen, and they wanted to avoid pitching them on back-to-back nights as they get acclimated after being on the injured list. Cano’s weakness against that side showed as he let in two runs.
The Orioles got runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the 10th. Kjerstad struck out, and Daniel Johnson, playing his first major league game since 2021, hit a soft groundout to end the game.
In a few days, the Orioles likely will have a stronger bench to go to for situations just like that. Infielders Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and Ryan Mountcastle are on rehab assignments in Norfolk and expected back before the end of the season.
On Sunday, the Orioles will play the last regular-season game of the year at Camden Yards. A win could send them to the postseason — and make it even more likely that postseason baseball will return to Baltimore.
“Obviously, it’s a disappointing aspect,” Povich said. “We want to win every game. I think still that last inning, scoring those two runs before going into extras, shows kind of the fight that this team has. I think the momentum can still carry us into the next few games and the rest of the season.”
