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The first two games of the American League Division Series could not have gone much worse for the Baltimore Orioles. They dropped Game 1 against the Texas Rangers (TEX 3, BAL 2) despite starting Kyle Bradish, their ace, against what amounted to a bullpen game for Texas. In Game 2, they tagged Jordan Montgomery for five runs in four innings, but still lost handily (TEX 11, BAL 8).

The Game 1 and 2 losses at Camden Yards mean the 101-win Orioles are a loss away from being swept in the best-of-five ALDS. They now have to go on the road to Globe Life Field and win Games 3 and 4 just to force a decisive Game 5, and they have to do it with Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez, their two best starters, having already pitched. The O's are in a dire situation.

"Our backs are against the wall right now," O's manager Brandon Hyde said after Game 2. "... We have to go to Texas and play well. We haven't played our two best games here. We played well on the road all year, so hopefully we can play well on the road."

In the wild-card era only seven teams have come back to win a best-of-five series after falling behind 2-0, most recently the 2017 New York Yankees. They rallied to win three straight after dropping Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland. Here are five things that must happen for the Orioles to have a chance at completing the ALDS comeback against the Rangers.

1. Get a dominant start in Game 3

Back in 2017, the Boston Globe's Alex Speier did the research and found just about every team that came back from down 2-0 in a best-of-five series received a great start in Game 3. That was true for those 2017 Yankees. Masahiro Tanaka tossed seven shutout innings in what was a 1-0 win to begin the comeback. As they say, momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher.

The O's have not yet announced their Game 3 starter, though all signs point to it being right-hander Dean Kremer. It'll be Kremer or Kyle Gibson, we know that much, and Gibson warmed up in the bullpen late in Game 2. Hyde said he was going to pitch in extra innings had the game gotten that far. It seems likely Gibson will be bumped to a potential Game 4 with Kremer going in Game 3.

Kremer, for what it's worth, allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in his lone regular-season start against the Rangers this year. Gibson allowed two runs in seven innings in his regular-season start against Texas.

Either way, Kremer of Gibson, the clearest path to a Game 3 win is an excellent start. If things go sideways, Hyde will have no choice but to go to his bullpen quickly, he must manage with extreme urgency, but six or seven (or eight!) strong innings from the starting pitcher would make a comeback so much easier. Anything less than a great start in Game 3, and things get awfully difficult. 

2. The RISP tide has to turn

Baltimore did not lack opportunities in Games 1 and 2. Rangers pitchers had only three 1-2-3 innings in the two games and the O's had 14 hits and 16 baserunners in Game 2. The opportunities were there. They've just been held back by a dreadful performance with runners in scoring position: 3 for 17 (.176) in the two games, including 3 for 13 (.231) in Game 2.

"Give them a lot of credit for being down 9-2 and then giving ourselves a chance," Hyde said about his offense after Game 2. "Getting some baserunners, scratching away a little bit."

The Orioles led baseball in batting average (.287) and slugging percentage (.481) with runners in scoring position during the regular season. Only the Atlanta Braves had a higher OPS in high leverage situations. The Orioles were, by just about any measure, an extremely "clutch" offense during the regular season. We just haven't seen it yet in October.

The silver lining here is the O's have gotten opportunities -- again, only three 1-2-3 innings through two games -- and they did put eight runs on the board in Game 2. It's not like they've been completely shut down offensively. Still, converting more of those opportunities into actual runs would make life easier in Games 3-5. They need that regular-season clutch gene to return.

3. Cut down on walks

In Game 2, Orioles pitchers walked 11 Rangers, the second most walks ever in a nine-inning postseason game. Six of those 11 walks came around to score, including three on Mitch Garver's game-breaking grand slam. You can't give an lineup as powerful and as deep as Texas' that many free baserunners.

The O's issued five walks in Game 1 -- they walked five batters in a nine-inning game only 28 times during the regular season, the eighth fewest in baseball and fourth fewest among postseason teams -- and even that is too many against this Rangers offense. It's easier said than done, I know, but Baltimore's pitchers have to stay in the zone and stop beating themselves with walks.

"That's what you're trying to do is get guys on base, put pressure on them," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said about those 11 walks in Game 2. "The guys did a great job of it with the long at-bats, and we got their starter out of there. Just a terrific job throughout the order."

4. Rutschman and Mullins have to be better

Two games into the ALDS, Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins are a combined 1 for 16 with one walk, and the one hit wasn't particularly impactful. Rutschman doubled with two outs in the eighth inning of Game 2, with the Orioles down 10-5, and he was stranded. He also has the walk, so Mullins has yet to reach base this postseason. That's a problem.

I suppose the encouraging news is, even without Rutschman and Mullins contributing, the Orioles were very much in Game 1, and they put eight runs on the board in Game 2. That and about $20 will get you an excellent sandwich at Boog's BBQ. Ultimately, the O's lost Games 1 and 2, and to win Games 3, 4, and 5, they'll need Rutschman and Mullins to do something. They can't just tag along for the ride. They have to help drive the bus.

5. Get a little lucky

The Orioles are good enough to beat the Rangers three times in the next three games on talent alone. It wouldn't hurt to get a little luck along the way though. The O's could use a few bounces going their way, a few calls going their way, and things to break their way in general. The best teams are good and lucky, and the Orioles haven't had much luck two games into the ALDS. One fortunate bounce could tip the scale in their favor.