Baltimore Orioles waste incredible pitching performance in Game 1 loss

After officially securing their spot in the 2024 postseason, the Baltimore Orioles hoped to put to rest any issues that had plagued them in the second half of the year by focusing on restarting and preparing for the playoffs.

They have all the talent in the world to make a breakthrough, but there were still some questions about whether this group is truly ready to take the next step after being eliminated from the ALDS round in 2023.

The Orioles brought in Corbin Burnes to become their team's ace and give this group a real chance to win playoff games, which he did in the first game against the Kansas City Royals.

Unfortunately, Baltimore's lineup didn't show up, squandering the star's performance in Tuesday's 1-0 loss.

With the Royals keeping their own ace, Cole Ragans, in check, this was supposed to be a classic pitchers' duel, and that was exactly the case throughout the contest.

The first and only run wasn't scored until the top of the sixth inning, when superstar Bobby Witt Jr. broke the stalemate with an RBI single.

Burnes was credited with the loss, but he was sensational, pitching 8.0 innings in which he gave up just that one run on five hits while striking out three batters compared to one walk.

The Orioles were only able to score five hits, two of which came from Cedric Mullins.

Their star-studded group of Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Anthony Santander, Adleyrutschman and Colton Cowser combined for 2:19.

The stagnation of Baltimore's offense was a major problem, as this lineup didn't quite have the same numbers and attacking prowess that they had shown earlier in the year when they dominated their opponents.

Ragans was a slam-dunk for Kansas City, pitching six scoreless innings in which he gave up just four hits and struck out eight batters with no walks, but after they decided to pull him after just 80 pitches thrown, this was the Orioles' chance to strike .

But that never happened.

Baltimore needs to find a way to get performance out of their lineup in Game 2 or they will be swept out of the playoffs for the second straight year, which will end this season in great disappointment.