Corbin Burnes gave the Orioles everything they could ask for out of an ace in Game 1 of a playoff series. Cole Ragans and the Royals’ bullpen were simply better.

The Orioles lost the opener of their American League wild-card series to Kansas City, 1-0, on Tuesday afternoon at Camden Yards, setting up a win-or-go-home Game 2 on Wednesday. Burnes held the Royals to five hits over eight-plus stellar innings, but a costly one-out walk to third baseman Maikel Garcia in the sixth led to a go-ahead RBI single by star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. that proved to be the difference in the game.

“It’s baseball,” Burnes said. “Postseason usually is won with one big swing. Today was only one swing the entire game that meant anything. We got to go out, regroup and face another tough arm tomorrow. Fans were there, fans were excited. Got to come out and play again tomorrow.”

Burnes was the first Orioles starter to complete eight innings in a playoff game and lose since Scott McGregor in Game 1 of the 1983 World Series. With the loss, the Orioles extended their playoff losing streak to nine games — tied for the sixth longest in MLB history and the longest active streak of any club — in a stretch that dates to the 2014 American League Championship Series when they were swept by the Royals.

Coming off a 91-win regular season, the Orioles entered October looking to build off the momentum they gained by closing out the campaign with a 7-3 record over their final 10. Baltimore fell short of winning back-to-back American League East titles, grinding through the final three months as injuries struck and struggles with runners in scoring position mounted. While several star position players did make it back in time for the postseason, the latter still managed to carry over.

Ragans scattered four hits over six scoreless innings and struck out eight while the Orioles went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position against the left-hander. He was in position to match Burnes inning-for-inning but exited the contest with left calf cramps after the sixth. The Orioles didn’t fare much better against Kansas City’s bullpen, never pushing a runner past second base over the final three frames.

“We didn’t have many opportunities because Ragans was really good, and then the bullpen guys did a nice job,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We had a couple punch-outs there, first and third. That hurt. You’ve got to give them credit. I thought their pitchers were absolutely fantastic, and Ragans is really hard to hit and the bullpen guys that came in after, they were really tough on us.”

The Orioles had their chances, though. Cedric Mullins hit a leadoff double off the scoreboard in right field to start the third inning, but he never made it past third base after James McCann struck out swinging, Gunnar Henderson grounded out and Jordan Westburg flew out to deep left field. They put runners on the corners with one out in the fifth and left them there as Ragans struck out both McCann and Henderson.

Perhaps their best opportunity came in the eighth when, with Ragans out of the game, Henderson drew a two-out walk off Royals setup man Kris Bubic and Westburg followed with a single up the middle. Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro turned to closer Lucas Erceg to finish out the frame and he did just that, retiring Anthony Santander on a groundout.

“I think our hitters have a good process,” Adley Rutschman said when asked about the Orioles’ missed opportunities with runners in scoring position. “I think we had a good plan going into today, obviously a really good pitching staff. We’re just going to show up ready to go tomorrow.”

All the while, Burnes continued to give the Orioles a chance to win. He allowed a leadoff single to second baseman Michael Massey in the first and settled in to retire 12 straight before first baseman Yuli Gurriel singled in the fifth. Even that base runner was erased, however, as Ryan Mountcastle turned an unassisted double play. Burnes pounded the strike zone all afternoon, particularly with his cutter, and worked as efficiently as he had all season.

“He was super locked in, super focused, in one of those spaces where you’re not going to interrupt that in any way,” Mullins said. “So, he did an amazing job out there and kept us in it. I think it’s frustrating to not come through for him. I think that’s the most frustrating part about it.”

The scoreless tie didn’t hold for long, however, as No. 9 hitter Garcia worked an eight-pitch at-bat to earn a walk — the only free pass Burnes issued in the game. The speedy infielder made him pay for it, stealing second base a few pitches later to move into scoring position. Witt then brought him home on a single to left after Burnes attacked him rather than pitch around the likely runner-up for this year’s AL Most Valuable Player Award and face designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino, who was activated from the injured list before the game four weeks removed from fracturing his thumb, instead.

“We did a good job the first two innings against him,” Burnes said. “Pounded him with that cutter down and away, took some pretty bad swings on it, made contact. It was a pretty good pitch that he didn’t hit very hard, just found a hole and yeah, that was the difference in the game.”

Burnes didn’t let the run shake his confidence, getting through the frame on a replay-confirmed caught stealing of Witt at second before setting down six in a row to complete eight innings. He came out for the ninth seeking the first complete game of his MLB career, but Garcia singled to end his afternoon at 84 pitches. Kansas City threatened to add insurance runs when Keegan Akin allowed a two-out walk but Seranthony Domínguez struck out Perez to keep it a 1-0 game.

And that’s where the score went final. Erceg returned to the mound for the ninth and worked around a leadoff walk to Ryan O’Hearn to secure the save. Rutschman struck out looking on a ball that just clipped the bottom of the strike zone and Colton Cowser flew out to center field, prompting Hyde to pinch hit Heston Kjerstad for Ramón Urías, but the rookie struck out swinging.

Needing a win to extend the series to three games, the Orioles announced they will start Zach Eflin opposite Royals right-hander Seth Lugo in Game 2. They’ll look to become the first team in the wild-card round era (since 2022) to win the series after losing Game 1.

“Just got to go out there and play how we know how to play,” Henderson said of the Orioles mentality’ heading into Wednesday. “At this point, it’s pretty cookie-cutter. You got to win or go home. So go out there and play your butt off, do whatever you can to win a game.”

Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich.