Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Orioles’ 7-1 season-ending loss to the host Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Nathan Ruiz: The Orioles, who had such a knack for coming from behind this season, spent all of 10 minutes with a lead across this three-game sweep. This season was such a thrill, but it ended on a dud, with Baltimore finding itself with too large a deficit for even this resilient bunch to overcome. A magical year is over, but the disappointing ending aside, it felt like the beginning of something.
Jacob Calvin Meyer: Throughout the regular season, the Orioles praised their deep lineup, with contributors one through nine. In the ALDS, it was the Rangers’ that delivered. As Baltimore’s offense floundered in Game 3, Texas’ once again proved it has the top collection of hitters in the AL, as Corey Seager, Adolis García and company crushed the Orioles’ pitching staff.
Hayes Gardner: The only thing I did not expect entering this ALDS was the exact thing that happened: The Orioles got swept. All season, Baltimore had bounced back from losses with big performances. But in the most important moment, they came up short, digging themselves early, decisive holes in Games 2 and 3. The hitting was ho-hum, the starting pitching was bad and the result was an early exit from the most enthralling Orioles season in years. They’ll be back, sure, but this stings.
Childs Walker: The Orioles ran into the best lineup in the American League, and they were not ready to keep pace. Dean Kremer was a reasonable choice to start the game, but you can’t miss in the strike zone or waste 0-2 counts against the Rangers, and he did both. Orioles hitters, meanwhile, spent the evening working from behind against a sharp Nathan Eovaldi. Despite the short-term ache, the Orioles have much to be proud of and much to look forward to. They have excellent young players and more on the way. They’ll be back.
Tim Schwartz: It’s unfortunate that a brilliant Orioles season came crashing down this quickly and in such lopsided fashion. The Rangers absolutely took it to Baltimore in every facet, but the biggest difference was their experience. Corey Seager is a former World Series Most Valuable Player and looked every bit like one. Marcus Semien had a career .821 OPS in the postseason entering Tuesday. Game 3 starter Nathan Eovaldi improved to 6-3 in the playoffs and lowered his 2.90 career postseason ERA with a dominant outing. The Orioles are young and fun, but the playoffs, as we’ve seen, are a different beast. The Orioles should prioritize acquiring a front-line starting pitcher with postseason success ahead of 2024, when they will all be a year better for this experience.
C.J. Doon: I’ll remember three moments from this series: Josh Jung’s solo homer to make it 3-1 in Game 1, Mitch Garver’s third-inning grand slam in Game 2 and Adolis García’s three-run shot in the second inning of Game 3. In the end, it was the Rangers, not the Orioles, who started to look like the team of destiny. There’s some comfort in believing this could be the start of something special in Baltimore — a young team taking its lumps on the big stage, learning from it and coming back stronger. There’s also the fear this was a wasted opportunity to take advantage of earning the top seed. This is shaping up to be the most interesting offseason of general manager Mike Elias’ tenure. Do the Orioles loosen their grip on their top prospects to make some aggressive trades, and how much do they spend in free agency? There’s no doubt this team is good. We’ve yet to see if it can be great.
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