Rookie lefty Hall dazzles with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in first postseason appearance
7:57 PM UTC
BALTIMORE — What exactly went wrong when Orioles rookie Gunnar Henderson was thrown out trying to steal second base in the ninth inning of Saturday’s American League Division Series Game 1 vs. the Rangers? That remained a burning question heading into Sunday.
After Baltimore’s 3-2 loss, manager Brandon Hyde called it a “miscommunication,” while Henderson — who opened the ninth with a single — said it was Hyde’s call to go for a steal at that moment. Both statements are true.
Hyde clarified prior to Sunday’s ALDS Game 2 that he had called for a hit-and-run, and veteran Aaron Hicks, who was at the plate at the time, missed the sign on the 2-1 count. Henderson was nabbed at second by Jonah Heim, and Hicks went on to strike out. Adam Frazier grounded out to end it.
“That’s just something that we’ve done a lot this year,” Hyde said of the decision. “Hicksy has been wonderful for us this entire season, in so many ways. We do put runners in motion, we don’t hit a ton of homers, trying to generate offense a little bit at times. We bunt, we do the little things. And yesterday, we just missed a sign in the ninth inning there.”
Hyde emphasized that the missed sign wasn’t the primary reason the Orioles lost. He identified the earlier scoring chances Baltimore did not capitalize on.
Hicks drew a leadoff walk in the seventh before the next three O’s batters went down in order. Baltimore had runners on first and second with no outs in the eighth, but Anthony Santander grounded into a double play and Ryan Mountcastle struck out to leave a man on third.
“That didn’t cost us the game,” Hyde said of the missed hit-and-run. “We need to start taking a little bit of pressure off our pitchers and scoring early in the game. Yesterday, we just didn’t execute at the times that we have this season.”
Hall impresses in first postseason appearance
Fifteen Orioles players made their playoff debuts in Game 1. Among them was rookie left-hander DL Hall, who had one of the most impressive showings of the afternoon.
Hall tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief without allowing a hit. The 25-year-old struck out three and walked one. Hall entered with two outs in the sixth and got Baltimore out of a jam before working a 1-2-3 seventh and striking out Nathaniel Lowe to open the eighth.
After making 11 appearances for the Orioles in 2022, Hall had an unorthodox road back to the Majors. The 2017 first-round Draft pick — one of Baltimore’s top prospects as recently as 2022 — didn’t make the team out of Spring Training, having been slowed by a lower-back injury early in camp.
During the Minor League season, Hall stopped pitching in games for nearly two months, spending much of the summer participating in a strengthening program at the O’s spring complex in Sarasota, Fla. He returned to Triple-A Norfolk in early August, then got called up to the big leagues on Aug. 26 to provide a boost to Baltimore’s bullpen.
“I think that it was the best decision for me to go down there and get ready,” said Hall, who had a 3.26 ERA in 18 regular-season big league appearances. “Because I felt like I could either continue to kind of spin my wheels and try and rehab and play at the same time, or I could come and go to Florida and get ready and where I needed to be, and come be a part of the playoffs for this team. …
“I want to be a part of it. I want to help this team win in the playoffs. I think that was in the back of my head every day, for sure.”
O’s waiting to announce Game 3 starter
Per Hyde, Baltimore will not reveal the starting pitcher for Tuesday’s Game 3 at Globe Life Field until Monday’s off-day. The decision could depend on whether the Orioles tie the ALDS at 1 or are facing a 2-0 hole on the road.
The assignment will go to either Dean Kremer or Kyle Gibson, and there are reasons to consider both right-handers.
Kremer had the better regular season, posting a 4.12 ERA over 32 starts. The 27-year-old allowed three earned runs or fewer in 23 outings.
Gibson is an 11-year big league veteran with postseason experience (3 1/3 innings over three outings). The 35-year-old also had a strong finish to the regular season, recording a 2.45 ERA over five September starts.
Baltimore likely would have started John Means, but the 30-year-old southpaw was excluded from the ALDS roster due to left elbow soreness.
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