BALTIMORE — The overarching nature of a sleepy Sunday defeat to the Oakland Athletics is one loss in 162 games. But in September, there’s an increased significance on each outing, even when a series victory was already earned with wins on Friday and Saturday.
Especially when those outings come against a team sitting firmly in the basement of their division.
Before the game, manager Brandon Hyde emphasized how “today is extremely important, and I think everyone knows that.” He didn’t want his players to look ahead at the four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays that begins Monday — a series full of playoff implications.
