“Baltimore Orioles name game one starter for American League wild card round.”

The Baltimore Orioles fought for the American League East Division championship for most of the season, but struggled down the stretch and dropped the title to the New York Yankees.

Although it's not the situation they were hoping for, they're still in the postseason, with a Wild Card matchup starting Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals.

The Orioles have announced their starter for Game 1: veteran right guard Corbin Burnes.

The 29-year-old Burnes enters the playoffs after a year in which he posted a 2.92 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 181 strikeouts in 32 starts over 194 1/3 innings.

The ace ranked fourth in the American League in ERA, fifth in wins (15), tenth in strikeouts, eighth in WHIP and third in innings pitched.

Burnes was a leading candidate for the American League Cy Young Award in the first half of the season, but couldn't keep up with Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal, who won the American League Triple Crown.

Burnes made two starts against the Royals this season, both in April.

In those starts, he allowed a total of five earned runs on 13 hits and one walk while posting seven strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings and going 1-0 in decisions for those contests.

The veteran has bounced back over time, posting a 2.21 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP and 37 strikeouts over 40 2/3 innings in his last seven starts.

Burnes was the obvious choice to start the Orioles' first game as he was by far their best pitcher and will be a great option to open their portion of the 2024 postseason.