I regret to inform you, ladies and gentlemen, that the Orioles’ recent postseason failure shows no signs of stopping in 2024.

The Birds suffered their ninth straight playoff loss with a brutal 1-0 loss to the Royals in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, immediately putting them on the brink of elimination in the best-of-three series.

It’s a cruel bit of irony. The Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes last winter specifically for this moment – ​​starting Game 1 of a playoff series – and he exceeded every expectation in that exact scenario, pitching into the ninth inning and dominating the KC lineup. It all went according to plan.

And yet it still didn’t matter as the Orioles offense chose the worst possible time to forget to show up. And yes, they were facing one of the best pitchers in baseball in Cole Ragans, who can make any lineup look weird. That’s no shame. But the Orioles certainly didn’t do themselves any favors with a game full of frustrating at-bats, poor swing decisions and lousy situational shots, and they continued to struggle even after an injury forced Ragans out of the game early. This was the ugly return of the O’s woeful offense that nearly destroyed their season in the second half. It could also undermine their postseason hopes.

Let’s start with the good news. Burnes was absolutely sensational in what could (sadly) be his final start as an Oriole. He overpowered Royals hitters from the start, retiring 10 straight batters after Michael Massey’s bloop single led off the game. His cutter was phenomenal and he combined an effective curve with a sweeper to keep hitters off balance. Even the few times the Royals made solid contact were outs, including a scorching liner in the fifth inning that Ryan Mountcastle snapped and initially hit a runner with a double.

Burnes pitched like the Game 1 ace the O’s envisioned. All he needed was for the Orioles to score him some points. Um… yeah, about that. Remember the last week of the regular season when the O’s got some injured hitters back from the IL and it seemed like their offense was clicking again? Well, obviously the Orioles not to remind. They returned to the bad habits that plagued them for much of the season, failing to put together good situational at-bats. It cost them dearly.

The Birds faded quietly in the first and second innings, with Ragans retiring six of seven batters before squandering a big scoring opportunity in the third. Cedric Mullins started the inning with a sharp double off the right field scoreboard, giving the O’s a man in scoring position with no one out. But James McCann, after working Ragans to an eighth pitch, swung at a high fastball for a strikeout, losing his bat. Uhm. I have to move the bishop, James.

Gunnar Henderson grounded out, then Jordan Westburg hit a shot into deep left field that, under Oriole Park’s former dimensions, would have landed in the seats for a go-ahead, two-run homer. Today, though, Walltimore exists, and left fielder MJ Melendez made the catch on the warning track. That would have been a home run in 28 of the 30 MLB parks. Luck wasn’t on the Orioles’ side today, but they didn’t exactly create their own luck either.

No inning was more frustrating than the bottom of the fifth, when the Royals rallied the Birds and the O’s still failed to get a run across. With one out, Ramón Urías threw a catchable fly ball to left field, which Melendez just missed. He overran the ball and fell down, giving Urías a double on what should have been a routine out.

After this, Mullins continued his big offensive day on his 30th birthday, hitting a soft single to center field. Urías didn’t get the best of it, holding his ground until the ball fell in and only reaching third place during the game (although I’m not sure he could have scored even if he had run away from the ball). getting started).

Still, runners on the corners and one out look like a promising situation, and the 41,506-strong Camden Yards crowd came alive, anticipating that an O’s lead was imminent. But oh, that sad Orioles clutch struck again. McCann had an absolutely terrible at bat, striking out three, the last of which was a helpless flail to a ball in the mud. Uhm. You’re killing me, James.

Ragans then executed a great piece of pitching, striking out Henderson on a nasty slider and shouting triumphantly as he jumped off the mound. If the Orioles lose this series, they will look back on that inning with regret for a long time.

Perhaps buoyed by their big breakout in the fifth, the Royals rallied for the game’s only run in the top of the sixth. Burnes made only one fateful error, walking the #9 hitter, Maikel Garcia, with one out. It was Corbin’s only walk all game, but that’s not the right guy to put on base, and the Royals made him pay for it. The speedy Garcia, who had 37 steals in the regular season, quickly finished second to Burnes, who allowed 41.

Burnes retired Massey for the second out, but Bobby Witt Jr. did Bobby Witt Jr.’s stuff. delivering a clutch, two-out hit by ripping a sharp single through the left side to plate Garcia. Phew. The way Ragans pitched and the way the Orioles hit — or rather, didn’t hit — that 1-0 lead felt insurmountable. And it was, as it turned out.

Anyway, Corbin Burnes did everything he could to keep the O’s alive. He needed just eight pitches to get through the seventh and just five in the eighth, leaving him with just 83 pitches through the eighth innings. He even returned to the mound in the ninth, leaving open the opportunity to throw his first career complete game.

That dream was shattered with just one pitch, after which Garcia lined out for a single, prompting Brandon Hyde to head to his bullpen with the top of the order in sight. You couldn’t possibly have asked for more from Corbin Burnes, who rose to the occasion with an epic postseason performance: eight innings, one run, with the inherited runner stranded after Keegan Akin and Seranthony Dominguez got the final three outs.

If this was the end of the line for Burnes in an Orioles uniform, I will certainly miss him. He deserves to get his payday in free agency. Maybe he’ll sign with a team that can score points.

As the late innings arrived, frustration continued to mount due to the O’s offense. The Orioles seemingly caught a huge break when Ragans – who had thrown just 80 pitches in six scoreless innings – had to leave the game with cramps in his left leg. But against a Royals bullpen that struggled for much of the year, the Orioles had it worse.

Lefty Sam Long retired all three batters he faced in the seventh and left-hander Kris Bubic got two quick outs in the eighth, but the Orioles attempted another rally when Henderson walked and Westburg singled. Royals manager Matt Quatraro turned to his closer, Lucas Erceg, for the four-out save. The Orioles’ top slugger, Anthony Santander, had a chance to score the big hit. Instead, he hit a weak grounder, leaving two behind. And so it goes.

With time running out for the Orioles, pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn worked a great at-bat to open the ninth, taking a very close 3-2 pitch just in for a walk. A leading base runner! For the life of me, I don’t know why Hyde Jackson didn’t run Holliday at first base for O’Hearn – why is Holliday on the roster if not for this exact situation? – but that didn’t matter in the end, as no one advanced or scored the runner. Erceg struck out Adley Rutschman on a 2-2 pitch that looked low, Colton Cowser flied out and pinch-hitter Heston Kjerstad swung at a two-strike offering that was well outside. Another bad swing decision to go out on. How fitting.

Ball game over. A painful 1-0 defeat. And now the O’s have their backs against the wall and must win their next two games to avoid another early exit in the postseason. I’m not optimistic, but I guess that’s why they play the games.