The Texas Rangers’ victory in Game 2 of the American League Division Series has put the Baltimore Orioles, who did not sweep any series during the regular season, in danger of doing so in the postseason.

The Orioles nearly came back in the ninth inning but couldn’t overcome walking 11 Rangers and a grand slam, falling to Texas, 11-8.

The 11 walks by Baltimore pitching in a postseason game are tied for the most, while the 11 runs allowed are the highest in Orioles postseason history since 1954.

After giving up five runs on six hits, four walks, and two strikeouts in just 1 2/3 innings in his postseason debut, Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez was given the loss. This is the shortest postseason start by an Oriole since Dennis Martínez finished 1 1/10 innings in Game 4 of the 1979 World Series at Pittsburgh.

After going more than four innings and giving up five runs (four earned) on nine hits, including a home run, one walk, one wild pitch, and two strikeouts, Rangers starter Jordan Montgomery was awarded the win. Out of the 88 pitches he threw, 55 were strikes.

Cody Bradford, the reliever for Montgomery, threw three and a half scoreless innings while striking out four batters. The Orioles needed seven pitching changes to win the game in front of 46,475 fans.

Almost winning with a pair of home homersAaron Hicks, a right-fielder, tied the postseason record for most RBI in a single game for Baltimore. With a three-run home ball in the ninth inning, he trimmed Texas’ lead to 11-8. It was his third career playoff home run and his first since Game 5 of the ALCS against Houston on October 18, 2019.

In the fifth inning, third baseman Gunnar Henderson launched his first career playoff home run, making history as the youngest Oriole to do so since Manny Machado on October 10, 2012, in Game 3 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees. After Machado and Ryan Flaherty, who also hit a home run in Game 3 of the 2012 ALDS, Henderson is the third rookie in Orioles history to score a postseason home run.

History of postseason shortstop Jorge Mateo had a big night, becoming the first Oriole with four hits in a postseason game since Kiko Garcia at Pittsburgh in Game 3 of the 1979 World Series. Mateo is the first Oriole since Alejandro De Aza had two doubles against Detroit in Game 1 of the ALDS G1 on October 2, 2014, to have multiple extra-base hits in a postseason game.

Austin Hays, the left fielder, doubled in the third and singled in the fifth, second baseman Jordan Westburg doubled in the fourth, and catcher Adley Rutschman doubled in the eighth to record their first postseason hits.

The Rangers win thanks to Garver’s grand slam and Seager’s five walks.Rangers designated hitter Mitch Garver hit a 419-foot grand slam in the third inning, his first career postseason home run and the second postseason grand slam in Rangers history. He tied Texas’ single-game postseason record with five RBIs and is the 26th player in MLB history to hit a grand slam for his first career postseason home run.

Kansas City shortstop Corey Seager set an MLB postseason record with five walks, becoming the first Ranger to reach more than three times in each of his first four postseason games with the club.

What’s nextThe Orioles will travel to Texas, where they must win Games 3 and 4 Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, in order to bring it back to Baltimore for Game 5 and a shot at the championship series.

The Orioles have lost seven consecutive postseason games since the 2014 ALCS against Kansas City, extending the longest losing streak in club history. The Orioles have lost the first two games of a postseason series for the second time in club history, joining the 2014 ALCS, in which they were swept in four games by the Royals.

Get updates on Game 2 here: In the second game of their best-of-five American League Division Series, the Texas Rangers will play the Baltimore Orioles. The Rangers lead the series 1-0.

Baltimore looks to bounce back Sunday after a 3-2 loss in Game 1 of the American League Division Series to the Texas Rangers. This year’s top turnaround teams in Major League Baseball return Sunday to face off in Baltimore for Game 2.

The Orioles are 2-3 in postseason series in which they lost Game 1, per the Elias Sports Bureau. But the Orioles finished the season with a 101-61 record, and among the three MLB postseason teams that won at least 100 games this season, the other two didn’t fare as well either: The Atlanta Braves lost its NLDS Game 1 by a score of 3-0, and the Los Angeles Dodgers lost its NLDS Game 1 by a score of 11-2.

So, come Sunday afternoon, Rangers LHP Jordan Montgomery and rookie RHP Grayson Rodriguez will start Game 2 in Baltimore. Montgomery pitched seven scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card series. Rodriguez posted a 2.58 ERA after the All-Star break.

“I get nervous for every game, so it’s just something that comes with enjoying the game of baseball and caring, and I know our guys care a lot,” Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman said after Game 1.