KANSAS CITY - The Orioles trail a playoff series 3-0 for the first time in club history. A win today extends the American League Championship Series to a fifth game. A loss sends them home. The Orioles' three hits last night were their fewest in a playoff game since they also collected three in Game 3 of the 1996 ALCS. They've been two-hit on three separate occasions in their postseason history, most recently Game 3 of the 1974 ALCS against the Athletics. If the Orioles are swept today,...

It might be easy to forget now, given that the Nationals were knocked out of the postseason in the National League Division Series and have spent the last week reflecting on how everything quickly came to an end, but Mike Rizzo and his staff had a very successful six-day stretch from late July to early August that played a major role in the Nats' success. And while Nats fans are disappointed that their team isn't still playing, it's still worth looking back on just how much the roster got a...

After three games of the American League Championship Series, there's been a number of key things that haven't gone according to plan for the Orioles, who trail the series 3-0 and require four straight wins in order to progress to their first World Series since 1983. In light of these disappointing results, let's explore the good and bad of the series thus far... The Good Shut down the Royals' speed Much had been made of the Royals' speed on the basepaths prior to the series commencing,...

Situational hitting is key in any game, but doubly so in playoff matchups when opportunities are few and far between because of the quality of pitching. The Nationals struggled with situational hitting in the San Francisco series. In Game 4 at AT&T Park, with Bryce Harper at second base and no outs down 2-1, Wilson Ramos grounded out to the shortstop. It handcuffed Harper, who wasn't able to get to third base with less than two outs. It was a critical play in a game the Nationals had to...

KANSAS CITY - So the 2014 Orioles season may have just one day to go. I don't think anyone could have predicted a four-game sweep of the 96-win Orioles coming off their three-game sweep of Detroit. But that is where this series is with the Orioles needing a miracle to pull out the American League Championship Series now. It seems the Royals are always one step ahead of the Orioles no matter what they do. Score six runs in Game 1 and give up eight. Hold the Royals to just two runs in Game 3,...

KANSAS CITY - The Orioles win this afternoon or they go home. They must hold a lead going into the later innings of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. They can't let the Royals trot out Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland while they play from behind. Easier said than done, of course, but it's got to happen. They must jump left-hander Jason Vargas early and break out their own procession of Darren O'Day, Andrew Miller and Zach Britton. Asked after last night's 2-1...

KANSAS CITY - So it's come to this: The Orioles will attempt to become only the second team to rebound from a 3-0 deficit in games to win the League Championship Series. Tall order? It's nosebleed territory. The Orioles have lost three games by a combined five runs, including tonight's 2-1 setback to the Royals before 40,183 at Kauffman Stadium. They pitched well enough to win. The Royals pitched a little bit better, retiring the last 16 batters and 21 of 22. "It's tough," said first...

KANSAS CITY - Now that they are one game from elimination, the Orioles need to run the table in this American League Championship Series and win four straight games. Kansas City won 2-1 tonight to take a 3-0 lead in the series. The Royals have won the three contests in this series by five total runs. A comeback from down 3-0 happened once before. That was in 2004 when the Boston Red Sox came back to beat the New York Yankees in seven games. "I mean, it's been done before, so that gives you...

KANSAS CITY - After scoring 31 runs in five playoff games and 10 in the first two games of the American League Championship Series, the Orioles were held in check by Kansas City pitching tonight and and now the Royals are closing in on a World Series berth. Billy Butler's sac fly in the sixth put Kansas City ahead and the Royals' late-inning relievers made a lead hold up again to beat the Orioles 2-1 in front of 40,183 screaming fans at Kauffman Stadium. The Orioles were held to just three...

KANSAS CITY - There are a few specks of orange at Kauffman Stadium tonight for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. A quiet "O" rang out during the anthem. Orioles fans are far outnumbered in the sea of royal blue. A buoy in the ocean. The atmosphere is completely different than what we encountered at Comerica Park for the Division Series. Guess it changes when the home team has a 2-0 lead in games. Hall of Famer George Brett threw out the ceremonial first pitch tonight,...