Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Corbin Burnes was removed from the team's game on Thursday night against the New York Yankees after only five innings of work. He allowed only one run during that span while striking out nine hitters. Burnes' sudden exit led some to speculate that he had suffered an injury, but that is not the case.

“Initial indications from the Orioles here with Burnes are that he is not injured,” Jon Morosi said during MLB Network's broadcast of the Orioles-Yankees game. “There's nothing health-related that's the reason he's come out of the ballgame.

“But rather, they are trying to manage his workload because, assuming the Orioles are in a Wild Card series… His first start of the postseason will be five days from right now, so on regular rest.”

Burnes may receive American League Cy Young consideration given his strong season. The 29-year-old entered Thursday's game with a 2.95 ERA and 172 strikeouts across 189.1 innings. His first season with the Orioles has been a success.

Orioles' postseason outlook

The Orioles currently trail the Yankees by four games in the American League East. Baltimore is trailing New York 7-0 in Thursday's game. The Orioles will likely have to settle for an American League Wild Card spot barring a shocking come-from-behind victory in the ballgame since a loss would clinch the title for the Yankees.

The good news for Baltimore is that they have already clinched a postseason spot. They are leading the AL Wild Card and should be able to earn the No. 1 spot in the Wild Card, needing only one more win or one more loss by the Detroit Tigers to clinch the top Wild Card spot.

Baltimore endured some ups and downs in the second half of the regular season. Still, they could make some noise in the postseason. The Orioles will be the favorite in their expected AL Wild Card series, but they certainly cannot afford to take any opponent for granted.