9 October 2023
It’s no secret the Orioles’ magical run has largely been fueled by their youngsters.
But the big question hanging over Camden Yards as the calendar turned to October inquired whether those youngsters — only six rostered Orioles entered this series with playoff experience — could replicate regular-season performance under the scintillating lights of cruel and unforgiving postseason baseball.
On Sunday, with the Orioles falling, 11-8, to the Texas Rangers and going down 2-0 in the American League Division Series, the spotlight focused on starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and infielder Gunnar Henderson. Both were integral to the success this year of an organization emerging from a grueling rebuild.
Two stats in particular help explain the duo’s postseason divergence Sunday.
For Rodriguez, it was the regression from the regular season. He surrendered more earned runs (five) in 1 2/3 innings than he had in any of his previous 13 starts since being recalled from the minor leagues July 16.
Triple-A Norfolk is where Rodriguez rediscovered his command with a fastball in the mid-to-high 90s from the end of May into early July. By ERA, only two American League pitchers were more consistent than Rodriguez in the second half of the season, as he went 5-2 with a 2.58 ERA to become a more-than-fair pick as the Orioles’ Game 2 starter in the divisional round.
Rodriguez opened his first postseason start by allowing a single and a walk. He followed with back-to-back strikeouts, another walk and a flyout to escape the bases-loaded jam, which he called an early confidence boost.
Rodriguez then spiraled in the Rangers’ five-run second inning, surrendering six hits and four walks before left-hander Danny Coulombe replaced him and six other relievers followed.
A sharp liner to left-center field from Leody Taveras went for a double and evened the score at 2 in the second. Marcus Semien hit a dribbler to Rodriguez and the throw to first had to be corralled by an outstretched Ryan Mountcastle. The next batter, Mitch Garver, similarly tapped one down the first base line. This time, Rodriguez hesitated to throw home or to first base. A soft toss over the head of Garver to first was too late, allowing the go-ahead run to score and leaving runners on first and second with one out. He gave up run-scoring singles to Adolis García and Jonah Heim before being taken out.
“Really just kind of struggled to get into a groove,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously spraying fastballs and not being able to have that in the zone consistently wasn’t working for me.”
The right-hander’s plan leaned heavily on working his fastball against a robust Rangers lineup. With that, he said the goal was to keep balls in play on the ground. But an inability to finish off hitters in two-strike counts dug the Orioles into an early hole they couldn’t climb out of.
“The four walks hurt,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He was getting ahead of quite a few hitters there, especially in that big inning, just had a tough time putting guys away. Some 1-2 counts and 0-2 hits. Just tough time finishing guys. The guys he didn’t, he was working behind in the count and the other times with four walks.
“But just a young starter that just didn’t have his best stuff from the get-go.”
Henderson’s day wasn’t nearly as tumultuous.
The presumptive AL Rookie of the Year did his part to spark a comeback bid, working a full count in the fifth inning and blasting Jordan Montgomery’s sixth pitch of the at-bat over the right field wall.
With his home run, Henderson became the third Orioles rookie to homer in the postseason, joining Manny Machado and Ryan Flaherty in the 2012 AL Championship Series.
“Any time you can put a run up on the board, it’s big,” Henderson said of cutting the deficit to 10-5. “It gets the offense going a little bit. Being able to do that gives us another breath to keep going and keep clawing back.”
The rookie infielder crossed home plate three times while recording two hits, an RBI and a walk. He seemed more at ease making his second postseason start after going 1-for-4 in Saturday’s loss.
“I felt like once I got through the first couple pitches in the first game yesterday, I just kinda settled down,” Henderson said. “I feel like I’m treating it like any other game now. I feel like I got my feet up under me. The crowd is a little bit louder, they’re a little more energetic but I feel like you just gotta try your best to treat it the same way as a normal game.”
For Henderson, it’s about rolling over that momentum to Texas on Tuesday and a potential Game 4 on Wednesday. And of his fellow rookie Rodriguez, he said, “Hopefully we’ll be able to get him another start.”
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