BALTIMORE (AP) — The 101-win Baltimore Orioles are on the verge of being swept out of the postseason after losing Game 2 of the AL Division Series 11-8 to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Grayson Rodriguez issued the first four of a season-high 11 walks by Orioles pitchers and was pulled in the second inning. A parade of relievers didn’t fare much better, including Jacob Webb surrendering a grand slam to Mitch Garver in the third.
Inconsistent pitching and a lack of timely hitting added up to a 2-0 series deficit for the AL East champions, who weren’t swept in a series during the regular season. Baltimore went 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
Game 3 of the best-of-five series is at Texas on Tuesday.
Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde declined before Game 2 to name his team’s next starter. The choice most likely comes down to 15-game winner — and former Rangers pitcher — Kyle Gibson and 27-year-old Dean Kremer.
The need to stave off elimination could shift the balance toward Gibson, who at 35 is more experienced. But neither he nor Kremer has started a postseason game in the majors.
Neither had Rodriguez, a rookie right-hander who opened Game 2 with a 100-mph fastball. By the time he had thrown his 59th and final pitch, the Rangers had already put five runs on the board on six hits.
Bryan Baker walked three of the four batters he faced in the third, setting the stage for Garver to blow the game wide open by crushing a 419-foot drive to left for the second postseason grand slam in Rangers history.
After leading the AL with 48 comeback victories, the Orioles didn’t have quite enough pop to keep up with the Rangers. The top four hitters in their order combined to go 4 for 17 with two RBIs: a sacrifice fly by Ryan Mountcastle in the fourth inning, and a solo homer by Gunnar Henderson in the fifth.
Adley Rutschman’s double in the eighth seemed to set the stage for a two-out rally, but Mountcastle grounded out on his first pitch to send some of the dedicated 46,475 fans in attendance to the exits. Aaron Hicks’ three-run homer in the ninth sent a charge through the ballpark before Ryan O’Hearn flew out and Cedric Mullins struck out to end a 3-hour, 45-minute marathon.
After dropping Game 1 Saturday after a miscommunication led to Henderson being caught stealing in the ninth, the Orioles have now lost seven consecutive postseason games dating to their last victory, on Oct. 5, 2014.
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