ARLINGTON, Texas – Orioles manager Brandon Hyde knew that Dean Kremer wanted the ball in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. The high stakes, the confidence he brings to the mound, the impressive starts in two clinchers last month.

Hyde approached Kremer yesterday, prior to Game 2, and updated him on the team’s plans. He was the choice. But Hyde checked back this morning amid the violent conflict with Hamas in Israel, where at least 900 people were killed over the weekend in a surprise attack. Israel declared war on Sunday.

Kremer has Israeli dual citizenship and makes yearly visits to his family. He pitched for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic during spring training, his proudest moment in a baseball uniform.

“I saw him at breakfast this morning,” Hyde said at today’s workout at Globe Life Field. “We had a nice conversation. Gave him my support and sympathies for him and his family that's involved, and he seemed OK. He seemed like he was ready to pitch. He seemed like he felt comfortable with where his family situation was at with the whole thing.

“Obviously, he's very disturbed and there's a lot of things going on, but I didn't sense that it was going to affect (him). I think he's really looking forward to pitching tomorrow, so I didn't think it was going to affect him.”

Grayson Rodriguez handed the ball to manager Brandon Hyde, walked to the dugout without raising his head and bolted down the steps. Too brisk a pace for teammates to reach out to him. Nothing they could have done anyway to soothe him.

The rookie was put in a tough spot. He didn’t make it through the second inning.

Can the Orioles make it past the Division Series?

They are teetering on the edge after today’s 11-8 loss to the Rangers in Game 2, played before an announced sellout crowd of 46,475 at Camden Yards. Aaron Hicks greeted José Leclerc with a three-run homer in the ninth, but the deficit was too large to overcome.

Mitch Garver hit a grand slam off Jacob Webb in the third after Bryan Baker walked the bases loaded. Nine runs on the board. A team in distress.

The miscommunication yesterday that led to Gunnar Henderson’s failed stolen base attempt in the ninth inning of Game 1 was a missed sign by Aaron Hicks on a hit-and-run.

Manager Brandon Hyde explained the situation this afternoon during his daily media session.

Henderson broke for second base on a 2-1 count. José Leclerc’s changeup was called a ball, though he appeared to catch the outside corner, Henderson slowed on his way to second base and was thrown out.

Hicks fouled off the next pitch and then struck out.

“We just missed the hit-and-run sign there,” Hyde said. “That's just something that we've done a lot this year. Hicksy has been wonderful for us this entire season in so many ways. We do put runners in motion, we have to do things. We don’t hit a ton of homers. Trying to generate offense a little bit at times. And we bunt, we do the little things. And yesterday we just missed a sign in the ninth inning there. But that didn’t cost us the game. We had opportunities to score before that.

A rookie will try to pull the Orioles away from the brink of elimination in the American League Division Series.

Following their Game 1 loss to the Rangers, the Orioles are starting right-hander Grayson Rodriguez this afternoon at chilly Camden Yards. Rodriguez made his first major league appearance in Arlington on April 5, allowing two runs in five innings. He also made his last against the Rangers before being optioned, surrendering eight earned runs and nine total in 3 1/3 innings on May 26 in Baltimore.

“You know, that feels like it was a year ago, honestly,” he said yesterday of his debut. “But, you know, just kind of learning how to be a pitcher in the big leagues, how to go about each and every day, I think is the big thing.”

So is starting again against your hometown team.

“Watched them a lot as a kid, a lot of Rangers and Astros games,” he said. “Just being able to face a team like that is pretty special to me. It's something I've been dreaming of for a while.”

The Orioles can change their roster for the American League Championship Series if they get past the Rangers. A new set of decisions to make based on the opponent and matchups.

Time to reconsider whether to stay with only 12 pitchers.

Shintaro Fujinami sat on the Division Series bubble and it popped underneath him. His inconsistency in the strike zone, the bouts of wildness, convinced the Orioles to drop him.

Maybe there were other factors, but if the results matched the stuff, you’d think Fuji would be in the bullpen.

He appeared to have a small abrasion on his face yesterday at quick glance, and a Japanese reporter also noticed a mark on the pitcher’s hand. Of course, he asked manager Brandon Hyde about it. His beat consists of one player.

The sun finally came out at Camden Yards, followed by outfielders Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays.

The crowd erupted, less than an hour before first pitch. Two players jogging out of the dugout for pregame stretching eliciting cheers. The dam bursting after playoff excitement had been contained for so long.

Then came the scoreboard countdown to introductions, men and women decked out in orange gear waving towels of the same color. Adam Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Mullins and kept motioning for the place to get louder, as if the volume button had another notch.

Kyle Bradish leaped over the first base line, pounded his fist in his glove and struck out Rangers leadoff hitter Marcus Semien on three pitches. The postseason returned to Baltimore and it didn’t enter quietly.

Orioles fans filed out that way. But there’s always tomorrow.

The Orioles knew in advance that they wanted to keep 14 position players and reduce their pitching staff to 12 for the American League Division Series.

They weren’t expecting John Means to be missing, his elbow soreness after Thursday’s simulated game creating an opening for reliever Bryan Baker.

Plan ahead and prepare to pivot.

Manager Brandon Hyde didn’t confirm that Means was going to start prior to the elbow issue, calling him “a candidate.” And he didn’t reveal who would take the mound for Game 3 Tuesday night in Arlington.

Dean Kremer and Kyle Gibson are locked into the rotation based on Means’ disappearance from it. One of them seemed to be headed to the bullpen.

John Means isn’t on the Orioles roster for the American League Division Series due to elbow soreness that cropped up after Thursday’s simulated game at Camden Yards.

Manager Brandon Hyde expressed confidence that Means would be ready for the Championship Series if the Orioles advance to the next round.

“Felt like he needed a few days off,” Hyde said.

“Meansy was going to be a candidate to start one of these games and it means we got … We feel great about our starting pitching depth. And Dean (Kremer) and Kyle Gibson both threw the ball extremely well this year. We're hoping that John can take a few days off, rehab, and hopefully if we can advance that he'll be available for the next series.

Hyde said the soreness isn’t “concerning.”

Players filtered onto the field earlier today to begin their workout leading into Saturday’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The batting cage set up. Ground balls hit to infielders. Pitchers throwing in the bullpen. Members of the grounds crew leaning against the dugout railing with arms folded, knowing they were in for a long day with the Rangers following the Orioles.

It seemed routine, like any other afternoon, which is what manager Brandon Hyde wanted and expected. The 163^rd game in 2023 wasn’t rattling anyone’s cage.

“We have so much inexperience and so many guys that haven't had postseason experience,” Hyde said. “Just today I got to the park, it's really loose, and that's a great sign. Their workouts have gone really well the last few days. I don't feel any tension or guys feeling nervous about the games coming up. Our clubhouse right now is pretty loud and seems very, very normal like the regular season, and that's what I was hoping was going to happen.”  

The stands were empty but a sellout crowd is coming Saturday. Playoff baseball in Baltimore for the first time since 2014.

“It's been exciting,” said catcher Adley Rutschman. “It was cool to have fans out on Wednesday for the sim game and just feel the energy of people getting excited. I think we're excited for Saturday and ready to get going.

Kyle Bradish walked into the auxiliary clubhouse at Camden Yards early this afternoon, sat down behind a microphone and entered a new world.

Bradish is in the playoffs for the first time, and his role as ace of the Orioles’ pitching staff is confirmed with his Game 1 start Saturday against the Rangers in the American League Division Series.

The obvious is official.

“Just the way he threw the ball this season and the improvements he made over the course of the year, and the improvements he made from last year, he's just had so many good starts for us,” said manager Brandon Hyde, who also announced that Grayson Rodriguez pitches Sunday in Game 2.

“We love his stuff. I like his make-up. He's pitched in some meaningful games down the stretch and pitched extremely well. And we have a lot of confidence with him going into Game 1.”

As it turns out, maybe the opponent in the American League Division Series doesn’t really matter to the Orioles.

The front office, manager Brandon Hyde and his coaching staff could argue that point based on the roster decisions shaped by the team in the other dugout, but the players sound like they just want to play.

They gathered again this afternoon at Camden Yards, the third different start time in three days, to perform some drills and engage in the latest simulated game with a plate umpire.

No fans allowed today after a few thousand walked through Gate E yesterday and cranked up the energy level. It felt sluggish today by comparison.

Infielders caught popups and the outfielders shagged fly balls from the machine stationed at home plate. Catchers worked on their throwing. Very similar to spring training but without the extra fields.

Word began trickling to players in the dugouts during today’s workout and simulated game at Camden Yards. Their start time on Saturday. A resolution to the concert conflict.

Game 1 of the American League Division Series begins at 1 p.m. at Camden Yards, six hours before music legends Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks perform at M&T Bank Stadium.

The only way to handle huge crowds and shared parking lots.

One player wondered about Sunday’s Game 2, checking with a reporter for further information. Major League Baseball hasn’t divulged any other start times.

The Orioles don’t know whether they’re facing the Rangers or Rays, with the former winning yesterday in the best-of-three Wild Card Series.

The Orioles are holding their first workout this evening at Camden Yards in preparation for Saturday’s Division Series opener. The opponent to be named later. Game 1 to be played in Baltimore, the first time that the city has hosted in the postseason since Oct. 11, 2014.

The Royals scored twice in the top of the ninth against Darren O’Day and Zack Britton to win 6-4 and take a 2-0 lead in the Championship Series. They swept it by posting back-to-back 2-1 victories at Kauffman Stadium. The “We Won’t Stop” Orioles were grounded.

You know what happened in 2016. The wild card game in Toronto, the Edwin Encarnación three-run, walk-off homer against Ubaldo Jiménez in the 11^th inning, Britton warmed but never used. The window for contention slamming shut and shattering.

One of the most vivid images is catcher Matt Wieters bolting from his crouch as soon as Encarnacion made contact and turning toward the visiting dugout. His own walk-off.

Anyway, that’s in the past.

To live in the moment is only a part-time endeavor for Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. His baseball world isn’t that narrow.

Earning a spot in the playoffs and winning the division are spinning him in every direction. Much of it willingly.

The games still mattered to Hyde after the Orioles clinched the American League East for the first time since 2014. Three remained on the regular season schedule. Don’t lose focus. Don’t give away anything.

Permission felt granted to actually think about and talk playoffs. To consider how the roster would be constructed depending on the opposing team. How to set up the rotation. Which players to rest.

And then, there’s the past, which requires a strong stomach. Maybe one hand covering his eyes, fingers separated if brave enough to peek.

Kyle Bradish struck out five batters in a row today, walked off the mound and went straight into workouts this week and a likely Game 1 start in the Division Series.

A planned short outing kept Bradish in his routine and on his roll. A last regular season reminder that he’s matured into an ace.

Bradish tossed two scoreless innings, the only baserunner on Rafael Devers’ walk. Four of the five strikeouts were produced with his sinker, the other his curveball. A nice side session in front of everyone at Camden Yards.

The rest of the game played out as a parade of relievers, seven of them in the Orioles’ sloppy 6-1 loss to the Red Sox before an announced crowd of 36,640. The total attendance for the season is 1,936,798, their highest since 2017.

The win total locks in at 101, tied for fourth-highest in franchise history. The Orioles went 49-32 at home, the third-best record in the ballpark's history.

The Orioles have reached one finish line. The end of the regular season.

Game 1 of the Division Series is Saturday at Camden Yards. The Orioles will play the winner of the wild card series between the Rays and either the Blue Jays, Astros or Rangers – the identity revealed later this afternoon.

They made a roster move this morning, recalling left-hander Cole Irvin from Triple-A Norfolk and optioning lefty Bruce Zimmermann, who tossed two scoreless innings last night.

Irvin also didn’t make the trip to Las Vegas for Norfolk’s 7-6 victory over Oklahoma City in the Triple-A championship game.

The Orioles want another fresh arm that can provide some length in the bullpen. Irvin has registered a 4.54 ERA and 1.314 WHIP in 23 games, including 12 starts.

Cole Irvin watched his Triple-A Norfolk teammates celebrate their Triple-A national championship from afar last night, as he’s done with two other clinching games.

Irvin wasn’t with the Orioles after they officially made the playoffs and won their division. His only chance to pop some corks happened after the Tides won the International League crown.

“It’s part of the game,” he said. “The game moves on without you, whether you’re there or not, and I’m rooting for this team to do good things. And I was a part of it for a lot of the season. So, it sucks in the moment but at the same time, you want that team to celebrate and you want to win the division.

“The job’s not done, so there’s plenty of opportunity to maybe share in those festivities down the road, but at the same time, however, we can get those days off, give ourselves a little bit of a break and stay ready and be ready to go for the divisional series, that’s part of it.”

The Orioles recalled Irvin today, after instructing him to stay off the flight to Las Vegas, and optioned Bruce Zimmermann. He could pitch today in the regular season finale and stick around for the Division Series, whether on the active roster or taxi squad.

Bruce Zimmermann started Tuesday night for Triple-A Norfolk in the opening game of the International League championship series, was removed after only two innings and told not to pack his bags for the trip to Las Vegas.

Zimmermann is a pitcher, not a detective, but he figured it out.

The Orioles wanted the Baltimore native to stay available for a return to his hometown. Limit his innings and restrict his travel to the East Coast.

Informed last night that the Orioles were recalling him, Zimmermann had clearance to gather his belongings and walk through the clubhouse doors at Camden Yards. Leave his teammates behind as they tried to win a title, and join a club that’s celebrated two clinchings.

“It’s a little bit different, but it’s definitely a positive,” he said. “Feels good to be back up here and I know those guys are going to take care of business out in Vegas. Definitely going to have to try to find a way to get updates or something on them. It was a great season down there, and to watch these guys finish it off up here, to be able to come up and contribute and feel the environment of what’s going on and getting ready for the playoffs and everything, it’s great.”

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde didn’t agree that Kyle Gibson’s start tonight could influence how the playoff rotation and bullpen are constructed for the Division Series that begins Saturday at Camden Yards. He wasn’t going to put that much emphasis on it.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a big start,” Hyde said, responding to a reporter’s question. “I think we know what Kyle can do, and if he doesn’t pitch well today it’s not really going to impact anything. A lot determines the postseason roster on who we play, where we’re playing and those types of things.”

The Orioles played the Red Sox again tonight, Gibson tossed five shutout innings, and they scored three times in the eighth in a 5-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 43,150.

Gibson scattered seven hits and left after 80 pitches. Baltimore native Bruce Zimmermann, recalled earlier today, made his first appearance in the majors since July 4, didn’t allow a run through two innings and earned the win.

"He did a great job of minimizing damage," Hyde said of Gibson. "I thought it was actually a perfect workload for him heading into the playoffs."

Closer Félix Bautista won’t pitch for the Orioles in the upcoming playoffs.

He won’t pitch in 2024, either.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias confirmed this afternoon that Bautista will undergo surgery next month to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Dr. Keith Meister will handle the procedure in Dallas.

The club delayed its decision until allowing Bautista to rehab the injury and begin throwing again, first on flat ground and most recently against minor leaguer Ramón Rodríguez on Tuesday at Camden Yards. He threw 25 pitches in his first action against a hitter.