MINNEAPOLIS — Playoff baseball is coming back to Baltimore.
Camden Yards went eight years without a playoff game. Now, it will host at least two for a second consecutive season.
After clinching a playoff berth Tuesday, the Orioles set their sights on the next goal: Securing the American League’s top wild-card spot and home-field advantage through the first round of the postseason. Friday night, the Orioles did just that — and they didn’t need anyone else’s help.
Cade Povich twirled a stellar start against the team that drafted him, Ryan O’Hearn and Colton Cowser blasted home runs and the Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins, 7-2, to give Baltimore fans the chance to pack Camden Yards next week.
“We’re disappointed that we didn’t win the division, but to get home field through the wild-card [series] is huge,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re gonna be pumped to play in front of our fans. We know there’s gonna be a lot of energy and excitement in the ballpark and our guys are really looking forward to that.”
Claiming the AL’s No. 4 seed could’ve happened days ago, but the Detroit Tigers haven’t lost all week as the Orioles’ most likely first-round opponent continues its magical second-half surge. A Tigers loss Thursday or earlier in the evening Friday would’ve done the trick, but the Orioles made sure this question didn’t bleed further into the weekend.
Home-field advantage in the best-of-three AL wild-card series is critical since every game is hosted by the higher seed. It will mark the first time Oriole Park has hosted a playoff contest in back-to-back seasons since 1996-97 — the last time Baltimore made the postseason in consecutive years. Game 1 will be Tuesday at a time to be determined.
After play Friday, the Orioles are locked into the No. 4 seed, while the Tigers have a one-game lead over the Kansas City Royals for the No. 5 seed. The Orioles eliminated the Twins from playoff contention, while Minnesota’s loss clinched the Royals a playoff spot.
The Orioles’ win is their 89th this season after totaling 101 victories last year. The last time Baltimore won at least 89 games in consecutive seasons was 1982 and 1983, the latter year the franchise’s most recent World Series.
“Of course, you want to win the division. Disappointed with how things unfolded, but we’re in and we get to start at home and that’s huge,” O’Hearn said. “We get to play games at home, starting Tuesday, and anything can happen. We’re happy we’re in. We’re happy we’ve got home-field advantage in the wild card, and we’re ready to go.”
Povich didn’t look like his normal self to start Friday’s contest — in a good way. The gangly left-hander was lighting up the radar gun in a way he didn’t do in his previous 15 starts to begin his MLB career. He touched 96 mph for the first time in his career and fired nine fastballs harder than 94.5 mph — his previous high.
Either Povich was motivated to prove he deserves a spot on the Orioles’ playoff roster, he wanted to show his old organization what it’s missing after trading him away or the gun at Target Field was hot. Regardless, the rookie southpaw was magnificent.
“I think today I was just smooth,” said Povich, who noted he threw in the mid-90s-mph range as a Twins prospect in 2022, with his max velocity in a minor league game at 96.9 mph. “A lot of it is just kind of the work that has been taken into account throughout the entire year, with mechanics and in the weight room and training room.”
Povich, whom the Orioles acquired in the controversial Jorge López trade at the 2022 deadline, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings to end the Twins’ playoff hopes, allowing only two hits for a third consecutive start. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in four of his five September starts — a 2.60 ERA — to make a case that he deserves a spot on Baltimore’s postseason roster.
“He keeps getting better,” Hyde said. “The command has improved, up to 96 [mph] tonight. Nine righties in their lineup and just an outstanding job of mixing speeds, working ahead of hitters.”
One complicating factor regarding Povich’s case for the postseason roster is that the 24-year-old would give Hyde a fifth left-hander in the bullpen versus only five righties. Also, given the postseason schedule, the Orioles could need Povich to start Game 1 of the AL Division Series next Saturday — perhaps opposite New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole — if the wild-card series goes three games (which will likely be started by Corbin Burnes, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer).
Either way, Povich, who said he’s viewed his September outings as a “tryout for the postseason,” has pitched well enough to enter himself into consideration for the Orioles’ playoff pitching plans.
“I definitely hope so, of course,” Povich said. “I want to do whatever I can to help this team, help this team host a wild-card [series], help this team in the postseason, whichever way possible that I can.”
After putting up only one run against Cole and his bullpen Thursday, the Orioles’ offense broke out and looked more like the unit that scored nine runs Wednesday. O’Hearn kicked off the scoring in the second with his two-run blast off Twins ace Pablo López. The left-handed slugger stayed back and kept his hands inside of López’s sweeper, hooking it over the right field wall.
The long ball was O’Hearn’s first since Aug. 27 as he’s slumped alongside most of Baltimore’s offense in the second half. But he believes he’s getting back on the right track — at just the right time.
“I think I’ve been maybe swinging a little bit too hard, trying to hit the ball so hard,” O’Hearn said. “Working with [co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte] before the game today, we were talking about effort level and swinging 100% is not ideal. I think as hitters, maybe when things aren’t going well, you try to make up for it by that it feels good to swing hard, and that’s not necessarily the right approach. I heard a hitting coach one time told me, ‘You want to be a surgeon, not a butcher.’ I think that’s very true.”
Cowser, an AL Rookie of the Year candidate, then smacked his 24th homer of the season, a left-on-left solo shot off Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar in the seventh. An inning later, the Orioles put a quarter in the merry-go-round to take a 7-0 lead. Ramón Urías grounded an RBI single to score pinch-runner Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson drove home Ryan Mountcastle on a sacrifice fly, Jordan Westburg brought in Cedric Mullins with a soft groundout and Anthony Santander ended the rally with an RBI single.
“That’s how we were rolling early in the year was just quality at-bats up and down the lineup, one through nine,” O’Hearn said. “It didn’t really matter where we were in the lineup, every guy had the potential to do damage. I think that’s something that is our strength.”
The lone hiccup came from Seranthony Domínguez in the ninth. The Orioles closer, receiving a low-leverage tune-up, allowed the first three batters to reach and surrendered a two-run single to Carlos Santana for Minnesota’s lone offense of the evening. Domínguez has allowed five runs in seven September innings.
The next time Domínguez pitches, it could come in a playoff game with 45,000 fans waving orange flags. Baltimore’s two postseason games last year gave fans a sour taste in their mouths, and O’Hearn said the Orioles are eager to provide better playoff memories.
“It’s insane,” O’Hearn said of the playoff atmosphere at Camden Yards. “It’s incredible, actually. How loud it is. Looking forward to hearing the ‘O’ in the national anthem. Just seeing the energy in the stadium. Hopefully going to put on a show for our home fans and avenge how last year’s postseason games went.”
Orioles at Twins
Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
TV: FOX
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM