AL WILD CARD SERIES: ROYALS VS ORIOLES

October 1, 2024

Brandon Hyde

Camden Yards

Baltimore Orioles

Pregame Press Conference

Q. What were the deciding factors in having Colin Selby in the bullpen rather than somebody else?

BRANDON HYDE: You know, we just felt Selby in the couple games he's thrown for us, shown really, really good stuff and just from a matchup standpoint, wanted that extra right-hander in the bullpen. He's got 97-mile-an-hour fastball, really good slider. We're excited to add him.

Q. Where are you now on the Game 2 starter?

BRANDON HYDE: I'm nowhere. (Laughter) post-game.

Q. The team was pressing in parts of the season, trying to gets hits. What do you do to keep them loose for the biggest game of the year, for the biggest series of the year?

BRANDON HYDE: I felt we coming off the road trip at the end of the season, I thought our guys came in here yesterday, you know, unfortunately we couldn't work out, but everybody seemed like they were in a great state of mind. We met as a team briefly. I think guys seemed really relaxed and confident right now.

I don't sense anything different this morning. I think guys are kind of going through their normal routine. Yes, it's a big game and it's a big day and there's a lot of excitement, but just walking around a little bit and visiting with guys in the weight room, etc., I think guys seem like it's a normal day.

Q. Selby has only thrown about seven big league innings this year, and he's only been with the team a little bit in the second half. Is there any concern about putting a buy on the playoff roster where he can be pitching in huge postseason moments when he has not been in the big leagues a ton this year?

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, a little bit. Everything, we factored everything in. We love his stuff, how he's going to react to a potential high-pressure moment, you know, we're not sure. But believe in the guy and like his stuff.

Q. I know Albert Suárez had 70 or so pitches on Sunday, but is he in consideration if you guys do advance to be put back on the postseason roster?

BRANDON HYDE: Everybody is, yeah. Everybody who wasn't put on is definitely in consideration for the next round.

Q. With Jackson Holliday, who, you know, was put through a lot of different spots this year, having to play out of necessity a lot of times, what do you think that experience that he got this season helps him, if he does get in in this round?

BRANDON HYDE: I think that was a great development year, honestly. Yes, he had some ups and downs. I thought he finished the season really well. There was some -- he did some minor swing adjustment things these past couple weeks of the season that I think is really going to help him spring forward in the next year.

But just the experience. The experience of, one, he's played in some high-intensity games, here especially at home. Played in tough environments; at 20 years old, is on the roster. He's going to be a bench piece for us.

And just to have this experience alone, is only going to benefit him, and we're excited to have him. He's obviously got a ton of tools. He's really fast. I'm able to use him, in the starting but off the bench in a pinch run role and also can defend in two spots and he's got some big hits for us off the bench, also. And he's only 20. It's been really impressive honestly how he's handled everything.

Q. With how well Cade Povich pitched in the last move the season, how much confidence do you have in him in a variety of roles, what he might be able to do for you guys?

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, we'll see. We're lining up Game 2 and Game 3 kind of as we go. But Cade finished the season really well. Threw the ball great. Another great development story for us for the guy that doesn't have a ton of upper-level experience, to go into the big leagues this year and pitch, have his ups and downs, but learned from them. Finished the season extremely strong, threw great in Minnesota, up to 96 with good secondary stuff.

So whether he's going to start one of these games or be in relief, he's a guy that can give us multiple, multiple innings out of the bullpen.

Q. There was so much buildup to the start of the playoffs for you guys last year. Not just here but across the whole city. Do you like the fact that this maybe feels a little bit more like a normal series, and you played two days ago. It's three games at home. Is that good enough in a way?

BRANDON HYDE: It's a little different, yeah. That was -- it felt like a week, which almost it was, of just kind of waiting, and anticipation, and you know, it was an amazing week. Because there was so many positive things said about our team, and you go -- anywhere you go, there would be -- the fans were incredible to us and couldn't wait to watch us play. And our guys are doing the SportsCenter Live through one of our workouts, all sorts of things. That was great for our guys to experience.

Unfortunately we didn't get it done in the first round. This is a little bit different. But it's still going to be for me the same intensity when the game starts. It's the same feel pregame right now, and I know our guys are really looking forward to getting out there.

Q. Players often talk about how sometimes in October, when the stakes are high, there's a lot of adrenaline and they need to slow the game down. For you as a manager, is there a similar experience that you need to kind of control the emotions of the moment?

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, absolutely. You definitely remind yourself to breathe. Got to be as clear-headed as you possibly can when bullets are flying and things are moving fast, and there's different type of scenarios, situations, you want to believe you trust your preparation and how much work you put in and the experiences that you've had, and you trust the people around you. I mean, you have three seconds to make a decision.

But it is about staying relaxed and calm in the moment just like a player needs to, and it's really enjoyable.