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BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles powered their way into the postseason with a one-dimensional offense and a flawed starting rotation.Those shortcomings proved to be their undoing in a bitter, season-ending defeat.Baltimore hit a major league-leading 253 home runs to finish 89-73 and reach the playoffs for the third time in five years. That would be the takeaway from a surprisingly successful 2016 season if not for the circumstances surrounding Tuesday nights 5-2 loss to Toronto in the AL wild-card game.Mark Trumbo, who led the majors with 47 home runs, hit a two-run drive to give Baltimore a 2-1 lead. But the Orioles didnt get a hit after the sixth inning and ultimately succumbed in the 11th when Ubaldo Jimenez yielded a three-run homer to Edwin Encarnacion.Jimenez began the season as a starter and was twice exiled to the bullpen. On the final night of Baltimores season, the right-hander finished what Chris Tillman started -- and neither of them did it effectively.Though Tillman (16-6) led the team in wins, he didnt make it out of the fifth inning.It may take some time before Baltimore fans get over seeing Jimenez in the 11th instead of closer Zach Britton, who converted all 47 of his save chances and owned an 0.54 ERA.Manager Buck Showalter deserves to be second-guessed, but only after being lauded for guiding the Orioles to the playoffs. Who could have possibly done more with a slow-footed team that finished with 19 steals? Or with a starting rotation that included Jimenez (8-12, 5.44 ERA), Yovani Gallardo (6-8, 5.42) and Wade Miley (2-5, 6.17)?Going into spring training you have a goal to make the playoffs, said catcher Matt Wieters, who may have played his last game in Baltimore. We had our share of great times and our share of adversity this year.Some things for the Orioles to think about this offseason:FOR STARTERS: Young right-handers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman got their first taste of steady work as starting pitchers in 2016, and it went well.Bundy went 10-6 and Gausman won six of his last eight decisions after a 3-10 start. With Bundy, Gausman and Tillman back, the Orioles have a solid foundation from which to build their starting rotation in 2017.Were proud of the way both Gausman and Bundy handled new things they havent experienced before, Wieters said. More than anything, they have learned theyre going to have different situations thrown at them, and the best way to move forward is to keep working and keep getting better.Tillman should start on opening day against Toronto, but who knows?Every one of us wants to be that ace, Gausman said.FREE AGENCY: Trumbo signed a one-year contract and will likely take his potent bat elsewhere this winter.The Orioles could make a run at signing him, but they shelled out big money to retain Chris Davis and already have enough players who can bash the ball.Pedro Alvarez likely wont be back, either, and Baltimore might not be inclined to again make a qualifying offer to Wieters.Executive vice president Dan Duquette would be wise to turn his attention toward obtaining players whose specialty is getting on base.Thats what the Orioles thought they got in Hyun Soo Kim, who finished with a .382 on-base percentage. Instead, his two biggest hits were game-deciding home runs in the final 10 days of the season.BULLPEN SOLID: Britton was nothing short of outstanding, Brad Brach made the All-Star team and Darren ODay was solid despite battling shoulder and hamstring injuries.If theres one thing the Orioles dont have to worry about this offseason, its the back end of the bullpen.YOUNG BLOOD: A couple young players made an impression in 2016, and the hope is that they continue their progression next season.Joey Rickard hit .268 before a thumb injury ended his year and Trey Mancini finished with three homers in only 14 at-bats.Rickard showed speed at the top of the lineup and Mancini appears to be a perfect fit for Camden Yards.THE NEXT STEP: Following a run of 14 straight losing seasons, the Orioles under Showalter have established themselves as one of the best teams in the AL.They havent had a losing season over the past five years, but only once in that span have they advanced to the AL Championship Series.We need to find a way to be more consistent, said Jimenez, who included himself in that broad statement.I think we have a pretty good team, he said. 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Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraskas Caleb Lightbourn has taken the punting job he didnt want yet and run with it.Lightbourn expected to spend this season as the understudy to one of the nations best punters in Sam Foltz. But Foltz was killed in a car crash in Wisconsin in July, and Lightbourn was named his successor following a five-day competition in preseason practice.After up-and-down performances the first two games, Lightbourn was named Big Ten freshman of the week for shutting down Oregons powerful return game in last weeks 35-32 victory in Lincoln.You could always see the upside with this kid, special teams coach Bruce Read said. I thought if we could play him, he could get better and better. He has a great mindset, hes a very determined young man, hes a pretty mature kid. He does a nice job of being able to focus and block out the distractions.There have been lots of distractions.Foltz was another in a long line of small-town kids who walked on at Nebraska and made it big. He was beloved by fans, and his death continues to be mourned statewide and throughout the college football community.Lightbourn, from Washougal, Washington, is the first Nebraska punter since 1995 to come in on scholarship, so there were going to be high expectations no matter when he made his debut. But the circumstances for his first appearance would be almost unfathomable for any freshman.It came on the first series in the opener against Fresno State. Before he jogged onto the field, Nebraska lined up in a 10-man formation in an emotional tribute to Foltz.I almost came to tears when I was going out on the field because it was such a special moment, said Lightbourn, whose 29-yard punt was not returned. I was just glad to get the ball off and get my college career rolling, and doing it for Sam.Lightbourn struggled with the swirling wind the next week against Wyoming, and he made an ill-advised decision when he took off running on a fourth-and-10 and was stopped well short of a first down.But on a near-perfect afternoon against Oregon, Lightbourn averaged 47.2 yards on his five punts. His last three were all inside the Oregon 20, including one at the 3. The Ducks Charles Nelson, who entered the game ranked 11th nationally in punt returns, never got an opportunity to run one back.ddddddddddddI got a lot more confidence through that game and that experience, Lightbourn said.Lightbourn actually was a better kicker than punter in high school, said Read, who worked with him at Oregon State summer camps for three years before coming with coach Mike Riley to Nebraska. Lightbourn had a knee injury his senior year at Camas High, and he received no offers from any school except Nebraska.The 6-foot-3 Lightbourn is listed at 220 pounds, but Read said hes closer to 240. His father, Edgar Lightbourn, was an elite high jumper. His mother, Marjie Van Der Laan, was a nationally ranked rower in high school.He gets his power from her. He gets his explosion from his dad, Read said. He never really punted all that much. Knowing the bloodlines, and having the history of working with him behind the scenes, we took a shot at him. We were confident he could be a real good player someday. We just didnt know when.Read said Lightbourn should excel in the Big Ten, where cold and strong winds become bigger factors as the season progresses.Guys who dont have pop arent able to deal with this conference very well, so you need big, powerful guys, which is a reason he was a real fit for us, Read said. I figured with a year, we could work and groom him into being that guy. It just happened to come on a lot faster than we thought.Lightbourn arrived at Nebraska in June with the plan to take a redshirt year and learn from Foltz. The two worked together when time allowed, and Lightbourn sensed Foltz taking him under his wing.He told me he wanted me to do the best I possibly can. He told me right before he went to Wisconsin, a few days before that, to kick how you know how to kick and dont let anything influence you too tremendously, Lightbourn said. I think going out there and doing the best I possibly can is what would make him happy.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '