2024 will be a season that all Baltimore Orioles fans remember whether it be good or bad. The team had high expectations heading into 2024, and for good reason. The O’s were coming off a 101-win season and a division title. After the Texas Rangers swept them in the ALDS, the organization was looking to make some noise in the next season.
Many saw the Orioles as one of the top teams in baseball heading into spring training, but they were missing one thing: a true ace. Sure, Kyle Bradish was spectacular in 2023 (2.83 ERA, 168 Ks), but the O’s needed a shutdown starter that would push them over the hump. Baltimore fans thought they found that #1 starter when the team traded for Corbin Burnes on February 2, 2024. The Orioles did have to say goodbye to prospects D.L. Hall and Joey Ortiz, but this was a clear no-brainer from the front office. Baltimore got their ace, brought back talent from last year, and were poised to make noise in 2024.
Unlike 2023, Mike Elias and company decided not to bring in any veterans in the offseason. They figured James McCann and Ryan O’Hearn would be enough, and they wanted to let some young guys get more at-bats. The team that won 101 games was locked and loaded and ready to make noise in 2024. Flashforward to March 28, and it was finally time to go.
The season started off with a bang for Baltimore. They won their first two games by a combined score of 24-7 over the LA Angels and took two of three in the opening series. Corbin Burnes introduced himself to Orioles fans by throwing six innings of one run baseball while striking out 11 Angels. Grayson Rodriguez followed that up with six innings and one run allowed of his own, striking out nine batters. The 2024 campaign was off to a very strong start.
Baltimore then welcomed the Kansas City Royals for a three-game set at Camden Yards. The O’s again took two out of three, both of their wins coming off of walk-off hits. The first was a two-run homer off the bat of Jordan Westburg in game one, and James McCann singled in two runs to win the final game of the series 4-3. Fans who stuck around during the five-plus hour rain delay in game three were rewarded with a clutch Orioles victory.
After dropping two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Orioles headed to Fenway Park for a three-game series. This series is known by every Orioles fan as the “Colton Cowser series.” Cowser went 2-4 with four RBIs in game one, and Corbin Burnes threw seven innings of one-run ball as the O’s won 7-1. Game two was a little more dramatic, as the O’s came back from a five-run deficit to win 7-5. Game three was really where Colton Cowser had his coming-out party. Cowser went 3-5 with two home runs and four RBIs in an electrifying 10-inning win. The first home run Cowser hit was the first in his big-league career, flying over the Green Monster to cut the Red Sox lead in half. The game then went into extras where the O’s lead 6-3 in the tenth inning. Cowser delivered the knockout punch on a 438-foot moonshot to right field, making the score 9-3. Baltimore held on to win the game 9-4, and Cowser walked out of that series with AL Rookie of the Week awards.
The O’s continued to roll in the month of April before hitting their first roadblock against the Oakland A’s. They won 7-0 in game two after dropping game one 3-2 in extras. Baltimore was well on their way to a series victory before Craig Kimbrel had has first of many collapses. Clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth inning, Kimbrel served up a fastball in the middle of the plate that Kyle McCann (no relation to James) deposited in the seats to take a 7-6 lead. Oakland would hold it down in the ninth, and the O’s dropped the series.
The Orioles welcomed their first test of the year as the calendar flipped over to May. The first place Yankees came to town for a four-game series to kick off the second full month of the season. Gunnar Henderson reintroduced himself with a leadoff blast off of Clarke Schmidt, and he later scored on a throwing error for the only two runs of the game. Dean Kremer pitched an absolute gem in game two, going seven innings and allowing just two runs. The offense gave Kremer four runs of support, and Jacob Webb secured his first career save in a 4-2 victory. The offense was shut down in game three, as Luis Gil went 6.1 innings of shutout baseball in a 2-0 Yankees win. Kyle Bradish made his season debut in the series finale, and that excited the Baltimore bats. The O’s scored seven runs as Bradish went 4.2 innings giving up just one run. The O’s won the game 7-2, and sent a message to the rest of the league.
May was going along smoothly, until the unexpected happened. The Orioles headed to Busch Stadium to face the St. Louis Cardinals, and they left with a massive streak snapped. Heading into the series, the Orioles had gone 104 regular season series without being swept. The Cardinals used timely hitting and strong pitching (and weather) to break the streak, and it was time to hit the drawing board.
The O’s went 17-12 in the month of June, headlined by some big series wins. Baltimore won series against the Phillies, Braves, Yankees, and Rangers. This was a team that looked like they were on their way to win 100+ games yet again, until July hit, and the bottom fell out.
At this point in the season, injuries had hit the O’s pretty hard. They lost starting pitchers John Means and Tyler Wells early in the year, but they won to cover it up. Their latest loss of Kyle Bradish was too much to overcome, and the team came back to earth. The O’s went 12-13 in July, headlined by a five-game losing streak. After not being swept in two years, they were swept twice in two months. The Chicago Cubs came to Baltimore and stole their lunch money, embarrassing them in the three-game set. The Yankees were next in line to have their fun, as they took the first two games of the last series before the All-Star break.
When all hope looked lost, the Orioles turned to a familiar hero. After an Anthony Volpe error kept the O’s alive in the ninth, Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo misplayed a ball in left, allowing the winning run to score. Momentum was finally starting to shift in Baltimore’s favor as they hit the Midsummer Classic.
The losing was not over, however. They came out hot and took two of three against Texas, before losing two of three to the Marlins and Padres. Things looked good against the Toronto Blue Jays, until they didn’t. They won the first game of a doubleheader 11-5 powered by a Jackson Holliday grand slam. Their new toy, pitcher Zach Eflin went six innings allowing just three runs. Then the injury bug came back to bite the O’s, as Jordan Westburg was hit on the hand, ending his regular season. The team also lost Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe to injuries, and James McCann was drilled in the face for good measure.
August was another month to forget for the O’s, as they went 13-15. They had some flashes but were never able to put it together. It didn’t help that Corbin Burnes had the worst month of his career (7+ ERA). Baltimore got off to a 3-1 start in September, but yet again couldn’t stay consistent. The team was essentially out of the division race in mid-September, but they secured a playoff spot and their first winning month since June.
They were finally starting to get healthy again, as they got back key pieces. Heston Kjerstad, Ramon Urias, and Jordan Westburg returned to help the offense. Danny Coulombe and Jacob Webb were back to help the bullpen as well. It was all for nothing, as they were swept by the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals in the AL Wildcard. The offense struggled mightily, scoring one run in 18 innings, and the Royals came up with the clutch hits.
2023 was a year of surprises. No one expected Baltimore to win 101 games and the division, but they took a great step forward. 2024 was a year of many things: expectations, promise, and disappointment. After starting off great, the O’s hit a four-month cold streak that ultimately sealed their fate in the postseason. Baltimore is now 0-10 in their last few playoff appearances, which is the fourth-longest streak in the wildcard era.
The offseason and the 2025 season will be a year of question marks for O’s fans. Fans will anxiously wait to see who the team re-signs in the winter, as Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander are free agents. Baltimore will also look to get back some of the pieces they lost to injury last year and the year before. What they do in the offseason will determine their fate in 2025, and it will be a very uncomfortable next few months in Birdland. Not the way we wanted to see it end, but a very disappointing season comes to a disappointing close.
The post Ups and Downs: Recapping the 2024 Orioles season appeared first on Marylandsportsblog.com.