AL WILD CARD SERIES: ROYALS VS ORIOLES

October 2, 2024

Brandon Hyde

Camden Yards

Baltimore Orioles

Pregame Press Conference

Q. People always want to know the mood of the clubhouse and the team. Are you sensing anything different this morning or is it just business as usual?

BRANDON HYDE: No, I think it's totally business as usual. Just kind of walking around the weight room a little bit and the clubhouse, I think guys are in great spirits and ready to get after it today.

Q. What do you think the team has to do to avoid getting shut out, to get the bats going like they were last week?

BRANDON HYDE: Well, yesterday I think you have to give Kansas City, their pitchers, a ton of credit. I thought rewatching that game, I thought Ragans was probably the best, if not the best starts we've seen against us all year.

Hopefully we can get some runs early. I think that always kind of relaxes the nerves a little bit and get guys got to press, and hopefully we can score some runs and get a lead early.

Q. I understand the decision yesterday to have McCann start behind the plate. You guys like what he does there defensively and really came through when Burnes was throwing, but how did Adley respond to that decision? It was notable to not see the franchise catcher behind the plate.

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, he took it fine. Mac had caught Burnes' last few starts, and with the lefty on the mound against us, handled it like it was nothing.

Q. Probably days like this you rely on your leaders in the clubhouse to be like an extension of you in there. Who are those guys that you depend on to be the leaders of that group?

BRANDON HYDE: Well, I think we have a really good collective group of guys, guys that have been here for a while, the five or six years that I've been here, as well as Mac has been in the Big Leagues for 10 plus years.

But guys like Santander and Ced, those are guys that have been through a lot of things. They've seen tough days but also been a big part of a couple winning teams.

You've got Eflin going today who's got postseason experience and pitched in big games before, and he brings a calming -- he's just -- he doesn't get too excited, doesn't get too low. He's just really, really relaxed in the clubhouse and on the field, so we're looking forward to watching him pitch.

Q. I know a big part of your process is rewatching the games back when you have time. What were you looking for in your at-bats and was there anything that jumped out the second time other than Ragans himself?

BRANDON HYDE: No, I thought he mixed speeds really well. I thought we had a tough time, especially with our right-handed hitters with the fastball. Westy got to one, and unfortunately hit it a long way that didn't get out.

He just didn't make many mistakes in the middle part of the plate. These guys have done a really good job with their bullpen. You know, acquiring Erceg at the end, too, a guy we saw when he was with Oakland and shut us down there. Thought he matched up well.

They're bringing good stuff out of the bullpen. We've just got to do a little bit better job of forcing the action, putting the ball in play, using the whole field.

Q. You guys have plenty of young guys on this team, plenty of home grown talent. How impressed are you with the job Norfolk has done getting these guys ready to be on this stage?

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, we've brought a lot of guys here from Norfolk the last three or four years that have impacted our team in a big way, and you see a lot of these guys in the lineup the last couple years.

Before that, Mike has drafted extremely well, especially hitters, and Buck and his group down in Norfolk have done a great job of developing these guys and getting them ready.

Q. How aggressive will you be managing the pitching staff today knowing there is a potential game tomorrow?

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, we've got to win today. Everybody is available except for Burnes, and we're going to do everything we can to try to win.

Q. When you guys have hit offensive lulls you've stressed all it takes is one. How does that challenge change in the postseason? How big is that challenge when you're suddenly faced with an elimination game just a few hours after an offensive game like that?

BRANDON HYDE: Yeah, I mean, I just thought that was just a great pitched game from both sides. They beat us with a two-out single through the 6 hole. We had a tough time scoring runs. We had a couple opportunities. It's a 1-0 game, two really good starters on the mound. We had a tough time offensively, so did they. They beat us 1-0.

It's a turn-the-page day. It's Day 2. I feel good about Eflin on the mound. We saw Lugo in Kansas City. He's got the 12 pitches. We know what kind of year he's had and how good he is, and we've just got to scrap and we've got to battle and put the ball in play, and hopefully we can get some momentum going.

Q. In any other sport, a coach or a manager in your position would have levers to push, substitutions or play calling. In baseball it's a little different. What do you have left in your bag to pull out in a must-win game like this?

BRANDON HYDE: I'm picking a spot to onside (laughter), try to get the ball back as quick as I possibly can in field position, or run a -- I'm going to try to be like UNLV back in the early '90s with Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson and try to get up-and-down the court as fast as possible.

Besides that I'm going to use my relievers as best I possibly can, try to put some zeroes up and try to score some runs.