The national narrative that developed after the Orioles' dramatic loss in Tuesday night's wild-card game was what the late, great broadcaster Howard Cosell liked to call "a piercing look into the obvious."
Orioles manager Buck Showalter lost his magic touch at just the wrong moment — when God and a national television audience was watching.
Let's all agree that, knowing what we know now, Zach Britton should have been warming up in the 11th inning when Ubaldo Jimenez came in and gave up two singles and the walk-off homer by Edwin Encarnacion that sent the Orioles home and the Toronto Blue Jays into the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.