To Adley Rutschman, every Orioles game from here on out may as well be the playoffs
It was vintage Adley Rutschman — the foul balls, the borderline takes — and he ended it with a double down the right field line to bring home a run. That eight-pitch, fourth-inning plate appearance Thursday was a glimmer of the Rutschman that is so pivotal for the Orioles.
Those glimmers have been rare lately. The double was just the catcher's third extra-base hit in his last 21 games. Even with the breakthrough in a much-needed win to avoid a sweep against the San Francisco Giants, Rutschman is hitting .183 in his last 30 games.
But forget all that for a moment and go back to Thursday, when the Orioles required Anthony Santander's walk-off, two-run home run to release a collectively held breath. Right-hander Zach Eflin called it just that: "a breath of fresh air." Manager Brandon Hyde considered it a "needed win." Santander said the victory served as a "reminder of who we are."
And Rutschman, who is well aware of his offensive struggles since the All-Star break , raised the stakes of Thursday's game and what's to come.
"I think we're treating every game like a playoff game," Rutschman said.
There are only nine games remaining in the regular season, and the Orioles are poised to clinch a spot by Sunday, at the earliest. But after experiencing the postseason last year — both the excitement and devastation it can bring — Rutschman is treating this all as a win-or-go-home situation, and he wants his performances to match that stage.
"There's a different intensity that comes with the playoffs, naturally, and trying to put yourself in that frame of mind so when the playoffs hit, you're not — I mean, naturally, everything's going to be heightened with adrenaline and whatnot," Rutschman said. "But the more you can put yourself in that mindset probably beforehand, the better it's going to be. I know our guys, regardless of how we do, there's a finite amount of time left. And the longest you can go is a month and a half from here. So, give your all for a month and a half. That's all you can control, really."
In that vein, Rutschman must flush his second-half performances. He entered Thursday with a .587 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the second half, down from a .780 OPS at the All-Star break.
He's far from alone in slumping, but Rutschman is a pacemaker of sorts for this offense. As Rutschman goes, so do the Orioles. In the 75 wins in which he's played a part, Rutschman is hitting .282; in 65 losses, Rutschman is hitting .215.
Lineup depth, pitching stability and defensive are all required to play winning baseball, but a direct line from Rutschman's success can be drawn as well. The Orioles got off to a hot start up and down their lineup and finished April with a 19-10 record. In that opening month, Rutschman produced one of the best stretches of his career, hitting .322 with an .811 OPS and four home runs.
The second-half downturn, of course, features Rutschman performing at a lesser level.
That doesn't mean Rutschman should play hero — in fact, that mindset may have played a direct role in his offensive regression, with him pressing to make up for injured players. But, if Rutschman can find more steady production, it would aid the entire lineup.
"He's so important to us," manager Brandon Hyde said. "Hopefully that can get him going too. Hopefully he can end the season strong. It's been a really tough second half. For him to get a big hit there [in the fourth inning], hopefully that can get his confidence going."
It's a step in the right direction, coupling with a two-run homer he hit last weekend in Detroit. For all the tinkering Rutschman has been forced to do in the second half as his body wears down, the feeling of lashing a changeup at the end of an eight-pitch at-bat was a positive sign.
"To be able to feel like you're recognizing pitches and, when you swing, you're like, 'I'm going to do something good here,' just having that confidence to be able to say that and trust in that is definitely a big part of it," Rutschman said.
He doesn't hide from the numbers. He knows his production has been far below what he's capable of. But, from here on out, the only thing that matters to Rutschman is a win — second-half numbers fly out of the window.
The postseason begins in October. But, for Rutschman, it may as well start now.
"At this point, we're going for that playoff push and playoffs, so we're trying to stack up wins," Rutschman said. "That's the most important thing: figuring out how to win. Guys are going to have good days, bad days, but we've gotta figure out how to fight to win."
