The first loss, dangerously unexpected at the hands of the cellar-dwelling St. Louis Cardinals, was like a speed bump. The second setback, however, coming at the hands of a former minor league teammate traded in an effort to deepen a challenged pitching staff, was more like a pothole threatening to erode a promising season.
When the Orioles lost a third straight game, this one to their new archrival Tampa Bay Rays, the road to the playoffs suddenly was on the verge of becoming a dangerous sinkhole. And by the time a season high fourth straight loss was in the books and the Rays had forged a tie at the top of the American League East standings … the sky was falling all around Birdland.
Welcome to life in the Magic Number Lane of Major League Baseball, where daily hiccups are part of the journey. It happens every year, where bumps in the road appear and disappear in nanoseconds.
What happened at Oriole Park at Camden Yards this past weekend was beyond magical. As the magic number to clinch a playoff spot that had become a foregone conclusion and the path to an elusive division title averted a roadblock, the O’s put Step One in the rearview mirror.
With that four-game losing streak threatening to blow up what was expected to be a joyous celebration, a pair of rookies, Grayson Rodriguez and Gunnar Henderson, the newest “kids on the block,” put to rest any notion this team would fade faster than a worn out sweater.
The next day Adley Rutschman, the first piece of the celebrated rebuild, teamed up with “old guard” members Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, Dean Kremer and DL Hall, along with veteran imports Adam Frazier and Ryan O’Hearn to produce one of the most exciting comebacks in perhaps the most important game of the year.
Make no mistake about it, this wasn’t a routine weekend. All of the pieces had to fall in place to set the stage for what should be a dramatic conclusion of an improbable season. The Baseball Gods definitely played a role in one of the best comebacks in recent club history and there was plenty of credit to go around.
Much of it, deservedly, went to manager Brandon Hyde, in his fifth year with a team that far exceeded expectations as recently as a year ago. GM Mike Elias, likewise, gets credit for formulating a plan, believing and sticking with it.
He didn’t let the outside noise influence his belief that there was sufficient in-house personnel, and Rodriguez seems well on his way to proving it was a matter of time before he emerged as the No. 1 starter everyone thought the Orioles needed. Elias also gets props for acknowledging former GM Dan Duquette’s staff for the core of young prospects who have played a prominent role.
It is safe to say that Hays, Mullins, Ryan Mountastle, Anthony Santander, John Means and back-to-back No. 1 picks, Rodriguez and Hall, have put the Orioles at least a year ahead of their rebuilding schedule. And now, with an improved international presence and a multitude of good draft choices in the last four years, there are better days ahead.
Throughout this season, Hyde has never let his guard down when assessing his team — acknowledging its youthful talent and exuberance at just about every turn. But, as he would admit the day the Orioles officially clinched a playoff spot, underneath it all he felt the team had been disrespected — and while he kept it to himself, he let his players know, hoping it would provide a chip on their shoulders.
The job is hardly done. Everyone associated understands that the celebration this past weekend was only a first step — and that it’s only the shallow end of the playoff pool. A division title is the cherry on top for the first stage.
But there are more steps to celebrate. The best may be yet to come, but in the meantime nothing is taken for granted. Being in the pool is a start, getting to the deep end is the goal.
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox